Crestfallen
by Lionna
Summary: When Harry lands on Asgard, he doesn't expect to be besieged almost immediately by two gods and a giant wolf. But he's always been the adaptable sort. (No slash.)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I'm not lucky enough to own either The Avengers or Harry Potter.

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_**Crestfallen**_

_**Chapter One**_

When he appeared in the odd forest, with trees far larger than any tree had right to be, Harry took it all in stride, as he had done for most of his long life. The wizard who looked to be in his late teens, but in reality was far older than that, took a deep breath and pulled his wand from his pocket.

"Point me; Great Britain." He intoned, and watched in exasperated acceptance as it spun endlessly on his palm. Ending the incantation, he endeavored to take a more in depth look around. It hadn't taken him many of the odd 'jumps' through both time and space to come up with a way to figure out if he was even on Earth anymore. Though he doubted the inventor who had created the 'Point me' spell had considered it to have such a use.

Sighing, he tried again. "Point me; civilization." He said hopefully. When the Elder Wand pointed purposely to the left, he let out a relieved sound. There had been a few times he had been dropped in a place where there was no form of civilization, and those were always the worst. Usually because it meant that there were animals big enough to eat him as they had eaten any humanoid creature that made an attempt at colonization.

Shaking off the thoughts of the last time that had happened (and really, what use did giant carnivorous horse like animals with tusks have for the food chain?) he set off in the direction the wand pointed. He would probably be here for a bit, and maybe he could disguise himself as a local and make some sort of living before he was whisked off again.

Stumbling over massive roots, and keeping an eye out for any animals that could decide to try a bite of him, Harry quickly made his way through the dense thicket. When he had defeated Voldemort, this was really not how he had imagined his life would go. Maybe he should have read the brochure for 'Dying and Coming Back to Life' a bit more diligently. Dumbledore certainly hadn't warned him that the moment the dark wizard that had plagued most of his early existence burst into dust, Harry would be dragged away from his own world and be tossed willy nilly into the universal flow.

That first new world had certainly been the worst, with no idea what was going on, where he was, or how he had gotten there.

But Harry had always been the adaptable sort, and this, while a very extreme version, was only slightly different from thinking magic wasn't real for the first eleven years of his life only to find out he could do magic himself one day.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Harry tensed as he heard foliage rustle nearby. Not leaving it to chance that whatever was approaching would be harmless, the wizard scrambled up the nearest likely looking tree, only to stop a few branches up so he was hidden from view by the leaves, but could still see what was going on below clearly.

"Are you sure this was where Heimdall said he would be?" A voice that was obviously feminine asked, ant the owner stepped into the small area surrounded by his perch's roots. She was joined by a man. A very large and oddly dressed man.

The blond man looked around, and frowned, though Harry couldn't see his expression from his high position directly overhead. "I'm not ever sure who we are looking for, or why. Heimdall was very vague." He answered.

Sif sighed in irritation. To say that Heimdall had been vague was an understatement. He had demanded she and Thor immediately go into the woods to find a young man who did not seem to belong, and bring him back to the all-seeing god immediately.

Really, it could be said that anyone found in these woods did not belong. It was said that the great wolf Fenrir roamed this tract of land, and the vicious god-creature did not take well to interlopers. They were about to move on when a growling sound too small to be the infamous monster's drew both of their gazes upward.

Meanwhile, Harry was cursing his stomach. He did not get the chance to eat in the last world (he had just been sitting down to breakfast when whatever deity controlled his travels decided his time was up there) and was too wary of the brightly colored fruit in the trees around him to try and eat one. But now his demanding stomach had given his position away to the sharp eyed dark haired woman and her fair haired companion.

"Who is there?" The woman cried in a demanding voice, and the wizard sighed, knowing he could not avoid this. Casting a weak levitation charm on his shoes, he jumped out of the tree to land cat-like in front of the two strangers, only to straighten up and find himself faced with two spears and two hard expressions.

Bringing up his hands in the universal sign that meant 'I'm unarmed' he took a cautious step back. Of course, the gesture really meant nothing to him, as he was fairly decent at wandless magic and could incapacitate the two before they could even think to skewer him, but he wanted to see if he could get out of this situation without bloodshed first.

"Er... where am I, if you don't mind?" He asked, noting that he slipped into Old Norse just as smoothly as he had once slipped into Parseltongue.

The dark haired woman scowled at him, and jabbed her weapon in his direction pointedly. Her companion put a hand on her arm, though to stop her in case she decided to charge. "Who are you?" She asked again.

Harry idly wondered if it was the woman's 'time of month' as Ron had so delicately put it once upon a time. "My name is Harry Potter." He answered, making sure to keep his hands where the two people could see them.

The blond man looked at him contemplatively, before turning his blue gaze to the woman. "Sif, does he look like he belongs?" He asked in a manner that told the wizard that more was being said than what he heard.

The woman blinked, and pulled back her weapon just enough that it wasn't invading the young man's personal space. "I-I suppose not. But he does look a lot like-" She stopped and glanced at her companion oddly. "-Like the one who was lost." She finished. Even so, the man flinched. Apparently he lost someone, and it was still a tender topic.

The man looked at him as if seeing him for the first time, and was obviously comparing him in his mind to whomever it was he had lost. Harry tried not to shift under the scrutiny.

There was no telling how things would have proceeded from there if for one little detail that the wizard hadn't known, and the two Asgardians really should have remembered. Again, growling echoed nearby, but this was far more menacing, and much louder than the feeble protestations of his stomach.

Harry spun around as the two strangers froze, and found himself face to snout with a giant wolf.

Fenrir sniffed the intruder in his land, and blinked large yellow eyes as the man creature gave off a scent of power that was similar to his father's. A large pink tongue lolled out of the monster's mouth, before he licked the tiny man thing with a wolfy grin. Father had not visited in many moons, but maybe he had sent this man creature, who smelled like he could be pack.

Harry had stilled, much like the two people behind him, when he was faced with the abnormal wolf. He tensed when it opened its maw, and flinched when it moved forward to... lick him.

"Er..." Really, could his life get any more bizarre before he was allowed to die and stay dead? The wolf nudged him in what the animal probably thought was a gentle manner, but nearly bowled the small man over. Reaching up with a trembling hand, he did the only thing he could think of. He scratched it behind one massive ear while faintly saying, "Uh... good dog?" The wolf gave a resounding bark, laid down, and nudged its massive head so that Harry could comfortably lay his arm on it while it observed the still shocked Asgardians.

Sighing, Harry glanced at the strangers. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that this beast doesn't really like people, right?"

The woman made a small sound in her throat that could have been taken for a no. The two finally seemed to get a hold of themselves and dropped their spears to withdraw what Harry assumed was their main weapons. The woman, Sif, unsheathed the sword that had been hanging on her hip, while the man took out a... hammer?

Leaning against the large animal that was affectionately nuzzling him, Harry patted its head absently, like he would Remus in his wolf form after a dose of Wolfsbane. Really, the animal seemed starved for affection and was seemingly far more intelligent than any natural wolf he had ever met.

Grinning now, and ignoring the weapons now pointed his way by the two cautious strangers, Harry continued as if he had never been interrupted by the giant wolf thing. "Like I said, I'm Harry Potter. Who are you, and where am I?"

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So I'm trying my hand at my own HP/Avengers crossover! I hope y'all liked the beginning. I hope y'all liked enough not to mind if I continue it, anyway.

Lionna


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers.

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_**Chapter Two**_

Harry walked calmly through the bushes and low hanging leaves of the forest, as aware of the woman called Sif walking behind him and the man called Thor walking in front of him as he was of the giant wolf thing trotting merrily beside him.

The two Asgardians had taken quite a while to calm down enough to answer his questions, and demand he follow them. As he had been heading for whatever type of settlement these people had in the first place, he had no problem with that. Though they seemed quite put out when the wolf they called Fenrir seemed adamant in following him. His ease with the large animal seemed to spark more comparisons with this 'one who was lost', whoever that was.

The woman stationed herself at the back, probably to stop him if he were to try to run off, while the man led the way to the place he called Asgard.

And Harry was starting to get a sinking feeling that he knew exactly where he was.

Magic runes were derived from all sorts of ancient languages, and he had spent hours upon hours researching with Hermione, hoping that the power infused writings would somehow help him defeat the Dark Lord that was breathing down his neck.

Of course, after all of that work, what killed the monster had been one of the first spells he had learned in third year. Go figure.

Pulling his mind back from where it had wandered, Harry reminded himself what had started the train of thought. Ancient runes. Specifically the ones with roots in Elder Futhark, and the legends of the gods that they represented. It had really fascinated Harry at the time, the stories of gods and goddesses who spent most of their time fighting.

"So that's Thor, and she's Sif..." He glanced at the happy wolf, "And you're Fenrir... And we're all talking in Old Norse." Connecting dots that had been gathering since he got here wasn't difficult, the wizard only sighed in a put upon manner. "So I've been waylaid by the Norse god of Thunder, and goddess of Earth, and you're probably the son of Loki. All within an hour of being in this realm, or on this planet, or whatever. This could either be really entertaining, or really bad." The wolf huffed as if in amusement. "Great, glad you're enjoying this." He muttered just as they reached the apex of whatever peak they had been climbing.

"Behold, wolf-tamer, the city of Asgard!" Thor cried jovially. It hadn't taken him long to start calling Harry that. And while he seemed to accept it, and maybe even found it kind of funny, the woman only scowled deeper at him, and her eyes promised pain should he even step a toe out of line.

Moving forward to take in the view, the wizard's eyes widened. It was really a lot more modern than he had been expecting, and he hummed appreciatively while the god beside him welled with pride.

Harry's eyes were inevitably drawn to the broken rainbow bridge, and he eyed it curiously, and with a bit of melancholy. It had probably been a sight to behold when it was whole. While he admired the view, Sif had drawn Thor back to whisper at him. Of course, Harry could hear every word after putting a listening charm on the hulking god.

"-do we know he's not Loki in disguise?" Sif hissed.

He could almost feel Thor's look of injured pride. "Do you not think I would know my own brother, no matter his form?"

The goddess sighed. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

Thor shook his head slightly. "No, that is assuredly not Loki. Loki would not be so obvious in both a disguise that looks like him anyway, nor would he allow Fenrir to attach himself to him and give away the ruse, should he take one up for whatever reason. No, this little creature actually gives off the feeling of a human, from Midgard." He said the last wistfully, and Harry wondered what the god was missing.

Frowning, Sif replied, "It matters not. Heimdall will be able to clear it up. He did send us to find the man, after all."

They seemed to come to the decision to continue, and Harry withdrew his magic from the listening spell, allowing it to collapse while his mind worked.

Heimdall was another name to add to the list of ones he recognized. Hermione had called him "Heimdall of the all-seeing eye". And he apparently knew something about Harry. Which was great, really, maybe he could shed some light on the circumstances here.

Thor began to run at a pace Harry could not keep, and without waiting for Sif to either seize the opportunity to skewer him with her sword, like she obviously wanted to, Harry and Fenrir looked at each other, and the large animal offered its back with a happy huff. Taking the chance without pause, Harry clambered on, and gripped rough fur while the animal lurched forward.

The god and wolf seemed to turn it into a good natured race, and Harry clung for dear life. At that clip, it didn't take long to reach the odd, broken, dome like building that sat at the foot of the once great bridge, and the man who stood there. Thor, his color high from slight exertion and his spirits higher than they had been since his fight with his brother, trotted forward to meet the dark man with entrancing eyes. Harry slid from Fenrir's broad back and walked forward as well.

"We have brought you the man you have requested, Heimdall!" Thor proclaimed.

Harry met the man's eyes fearlessly, and watched in awe as story after story unfolded at the same time. Fascinating!

"Wizard. World traveler. Master of Death." The god's words brought him back with a lurch. Ignoring the younger man's sudden discomfort, the god continued. "Long have I watched your journey across time and space. I have dreamed of your coming to this planet."

Harry blinked in confusion. "Er... okay? That's actually a bit creepy."

Thor laughed uproariously, as if Harry had said a particularly amusing joke. Ignoring the thunder god, Sif, who had just arrived, explained, "Dreams on Asgard are often prophetic."

Burying his head in his hands and bemoaning, "Not another prophecy," he too, was ignored by the woman while she asked Heimdall her question.

"So he is not Loki in disguise, then?"

The dark skinned god shook his head with a smile. "No, sister, this is not the mischief causer."

She crossed her arms. "Then why has Loki's... creature taken such a liking to him?" She demanded, motioning to Fenrir, who was nosing Harry in commiseration, though he had no idea why the human was so upset.

"I do not claim to know the ways of wolves, though I imagine it is probably a great deal in part because his magic smells so much like the lost one's." Heimdall answered.

Sif shifted uneasily. "He is a sorcerer?" She asked. Her disquiet was understandable. The only magic wielder she knew used his gift to cause panic and mayhem, and had almost killed his own brother.

Heimdall placed his hand on his sister's arm. "Worry not, sister, he is not like Loki in the slightest."

Thor, having composed himself, joined the conversation. "You also called him world traveler, and Master of Death..." He pointed out, his tone questioning.

Heimdall shook his head, eying the being who had his face buried in the coarse fur of the docile seeming wolf. "Ask him at a later date. Those are not my secrets to share."

Thor drew himself up, every inch the young heir to the throne. "What if these secrets pose a threat to the kingdom? To the Asgardian citizens? And why did you want us to bring him in the first place?"

Heimdall's golden eyes looked far beyond them, into time itself as scene after scene played themselves out for him. "Because, with the right circumstances, he could prevent Ragnarök."

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I am just overwhelmed by the amount of support and reviews y'all left for me! I woke up this morning to 250 emails! I can't say how much I love all of you! To answer a few questions that won't give any spoilers, no, Harry is not actually related to Loki. Like Heimdall said, it's his magic that Fenrir is identifying with. The universe jumping is not a new idea, though cyswaphyre is one of my favorite authors and pulls it off admirably. Um... I think that's all... See y'all soon!

Lionna


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

Odin stormed up the the gathering, his expression thunderous. "Would someone please explain to me why I received a report that Thor was racing Loki upon Fenrir through the city?" He boomed, eying the young man who was leaning against the dangerous creature.

Thor moved to placate his father. "Father, it was not quite as it appeared. Loki is... Loki still..." He drew a fortifying breath. It still hurt to say his brother's name without the flare of betrayal and great sadness that flashed through his being. "Fenrir's rider was not the lost one." He finally amended.

"Then who would dare ride that monster?" The Allfather growled.

Harry pulled himself away from Fenrir, who had tensed upon arrival of the powerful god, and stepped forward. "Harry Potter, sir. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're Odin?"

Odin squinted his eye suspiciously. He couldn't be a frost giant, he was far too small for that, smaller even then Loki. But it could just be one of Loki's illusions, and the fact that Fenrir had taken to him like this was suspicious... He didn't realize his hand was creeping towards his sword until Heimdall called, "Peace, Odin. The human is not here to harm your people or your family."

"So he is a creature of Midgard!" Thor said excitedly. If a human had somehow gotten here, maybe he could take the same way back. Back to Jane.

All four gods turned to the wizard with varying expresions on their face, from utter loathing (Sif) to hopeful pleading (Thor). "Um... sort of?"

"Sort... of?" Sif said slowly.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I would rather tell you my story somewhere a little more... private, if you please." He gestured behind them, to the others who had started to gather, and were looking on with wary curiousity.

Odin sighed, and nodded. "You shall tell me your story in my throne room, stanger, and hope I do not think you here to cause trouble." He looked pointedly at Fenrir, who snorted at him.

Harry turned to the wolf contemplatively. He was oddly docile and intelligent for an animal. He had only seen this level of intelligence in animals that had become familiars. Shrugging, and deciding to think about it at a less pressing time, he turned back to the gathering of gods, of legends.

"All right, lead the way."

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Two hours later he found himself answering questions for four very interested gods. Heimdall had left the group, saying that he knew the whole story already, and didn't need to have it retold, but in his place was Odin's wife Frigga, queen of Asgard.

"So when do you travel?" Odin asked, sitting forward.

Harry sighed. He was getting tired and thirsty, and Fenrir, who had refused to leave his side, was getting antsy. "There are many circumstances that could cause me to travel, and I probably don't even know them all. Sometimes I die, and wake up in the next world, sometimes I am just sitting there, minding my own business, and am dragged onwards anyway."

"Husband," Frigga said gently. "He grows weary. He has already proven that he holds no ill intent, so allow him and his..." She eyed Fenrir, who was sniffing at one of the pillars, "Companion to rest in one of the guest rooms."

Odin sighed. He knew his wife was right, but he still felt uncomfortable with the wolf roaming free in his castle. His eye lit up with an idea. The way the traveler had described his magic sounded radically different than the magics of the frost giants and his son Loki. He could use this to hopefully wheedle a demonstration.

"Young Potter, though you seem to be telling the truth about not even meaning to arrive here, and do not intend to cause trouble with my people, your companion offers no such promise." He started. The wizard shrugged.

"Well, it's not like he can promise not to harm people, he's a wolf. Speaking is a bit beyond his capabilities, I think."

Odin ignored Thor's snicker. "Be that as it may, is there a way to use your magic to confine Fenrir while you sleep?"

Humming in thought, Harry took a few minutes to go over his repertoire before nodding. "I think so, yes. It's a bit of a binding spell, that would act like a tether between him and I. He won't be able to go a certain amount of feet away from me while it's activated. Will that work?"

Odin nodded imperiously, fighting down the odd child like glee.

"Right then. Fenrir, come here." Harry ordered, and was not surprised when the wolf trotted over docilely, though the gods were. Pulling the Elder Wand from his pocket, he intoned the incantation, and set the spell for twenty feet. A bright blue grey light encircled his wrist and reached towards the wold to encircle his large neck. The light faded, and Harry nodded in satisfaction.

Fenrir whined worriedly, though, unsure what had just happened, and moved forward to nose at his new pack member. While father was away, he had made it his duty to make sure the gods with the cruel weapons that had drove him away not long after his birth did not harm the other member of the pack. But the human pack member had just done something that smelled a lot like father's magic, and he wasn't sure how it affected both of them.

Harry patted the large head and murmured soothing words in the animal's ear. Finally, once Fenrir seemed to accept that neither of them had been hurt by the light, the wizard turned back to the gods. "All right then, you guys said something about a place to sleep?"

They were led away from the large room by an ecstatic Thor, who was excitedly asking questions about his magic and traveling. Did he think there was a way to travel to another planet, yet the same time? Could he bring someone with him? How long has he lived? Where did he get his magic?

Harry just allowed the deep voice to wash over him while he leaned sleepily against the massive beast's side. But apparently Thor really wasn't expecting answers right now, because there was no pause for them between his barrage of questions.

Finally, after reaching the room that was chosen for them and telling the wizard that a servant would bring food enough for both him and Fenrir, Thor left them. The two basked in sudden silence for a few minutes before Harry muttered, "Excitable sort, isn't he?" Fenrir made a sound that sounded a bit like a chortle.

Turning to his new companion, Harry settled down in front of the now regally lounging wolf. The animal had settled on the large, laid out pallet that seemed to take the place of the bed, but Harry didn't mind. It was big enough for the both of them. Figuring that he had more than enough time to contemplate his new companion, Harry shifted so he could lean his back against the wolf's pelt.

"So from what I remember, you're the son of Loki and a Frost Giantess whose name I don't remember. Both are pretty humanoid, so I wonder why you're a wolf." Fenrir just grumbled contently, and decided this was the perfect time to take a nap. "You don't know either, then. That's fine. I just think better out loud. So, you're the son of two humanoids... which means your mind is probably very similar to a human's, only in a wolf's body! Like a werewolf taking Wolfsbane." Frowning, Harry murmured, "I bet no one else has realized that, though. You poor thing, you must be so lonely if they all treat you like you're going to mindlessly haul off and eat them. That's probably one of the reasons you latched on to me then."

Sitting up, Harry sighed. "Well, don't get too comfortable, bucko. I don't want you to imprint upon me as my familiar. I don't think I can take you with me if you do." There came a knock at the door.

Patting the now snoring animal's hide, he got up and answered, to reveal a nervous looking man with blond hair and grey eyes. He looked a bit like a mix between Draco Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew. Harry shuddered slightly, and put that mental image out of his mind.

"Are you the servant they sent to bring food?" He asked.

Suddenly, the man's countenance changed, and he turned _blue_. And grew. "Not exactly." The now apparent Frost Giant said.

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120 reviews for two chapters, waking up to a veritable avalanche of emails... I can definitely say I am feeling the love! For the record, and because a couple people asked, I don't really think I'll make this slash. I don't think I'll have Harry in a romantic relationship at all, really... Maybe I'll put up a poll...

Lionna


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter of Thor.

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_**Chapter Four**_

With wide eyes, Harry leaped back nimbly as the giant swung a massive sword in his direction. The Giant moved into the room to get better access to him.

"Compensating for something?" Harry taunted, while his mind raced. He chanced a glance over at Fenrir, who was up and snarling at the large man-creature.

Harry moved back to stand beside his new companion, thinking quickly. He didn't have time to shout for Thor or anyone else. He considered his options, and figured that he could take down one of these guys with a lot of power and fast foot work. He just really hoped that the giant did not bring friends. Normally he would have gone for a fire spell, something far more powerful than Incindio, but more controllable than Feindfyre. But... from what he understood in the little time he'd been here, the Frost Giants were not supposed to even be on this planet. At least, that's what he assumed from Thor's earlier babbling on their way here, when the god wasn't firing questions at him.

"Fenrir, think you can distract him? Go for capture, not kill. Got it?" Harry asked quietly. The wolf huffed and leaped forward, dodging the arc created by the frost giant swinging his over-large sword. Sending a protection spell at the animal's hide, and hoping it would stick long enough that he could do what he needed and not worry about Fenrir, Harry reluctantly turned away.

He had an idea, but the spells he needed to use were both complicated and draining,

First he conjured metal, hoping a titanium cage could hold the guy, and began molding it as fast as he could, flinching when he heard a loud pain filled yelp. That took a minute, but it was a minute that Fenrir was fighting alone. Harry did not like leaving the sentient animal on his own. He rapidly carved strengthening runes into the metal, going slower than he would have liked to make sure they were all right. Finally it was finished, and Harry turned back to the fight, relieved to see Fenrir still standing. Well, hanging really, his teeth sunk into the injured Frost Giant's arm.

"Fenrir! Get back!" He shouted, and the wolf jumped clear out of the way. The Frost Giant did not have time to react while a ball of molten metal was flung his way at a high speed. It made contact, and blossomed into a round cage just big enough for the blue giant.

Collapsing to the ground in relief, Harry sighed while the giant reached though the bars of the cage and cursed at him. A large tongue licking him roused him from his relieved slump... but Fenrir was still clear across the room.

Harry startled back to reality. They were still settled on the pallet, and there was no caged Frost Giant in the room. Fenrir whined worriedly, and licked him again.

"Did I... did I fall asleep?" Harry asked in confusion. He began examining the room, looking for any sign of the fight that had felt so real, but there was nothing. Twenty minutes later found him sitting back down on the pallet with Fenrir, who had watched his search with confusion and fascination.

There was another knock on the door not long after that, but instead of immediately answering it like he would have before, Harry eyed it warily and called, "Who is it?"

"It is Odin Allfather, world-traveler. I bring food and news. Are you going to let me in, lad?" The deep booming voice answered, and Harry pulled himself to his feet.

Pulling the door open, Harry came face to breastplate with the tall god. As he stepped back to allow the other man in, something on the side of the door caught his eye, and he looked at it in confusion and once he realized what it was, vague annoyance. It was a series of runes that, when active, would cause anyone in the room to hallucinate a certain scenario. Like the attack of a Frost Giant.

"A test." He spat, and glared at Odin, who just smiled unrepentantly. He spent most of his early life being tested, and now it just really irked him. "To see how I would react to a Frost Giant's attack." Running his hand through his nest of black hair, he scowled. "Well, do I pass?" He should have known it was a hallucination right off, he supposed. He had never personally seen a Frost Giant, and the fact that the name of the creature that had assaulted him popped into his mind almost immediately was highly suspect.

He pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and ran a hand over the runes. They disappeared. He repeated the same movement on the blank sheet of paper, and they appeared there, no longer active. He wanted to study them, but did not want to risk them affecting him again.

Odin set down a large tray on a table that was against the wall, not seeing the action with his back turned. "With no doubt, world-traveler." He answered, not ever bothering to deny that it was a test.

"Great. Do it again and I'll make sure you have bats flying out of your nose for the next week." Harry grumbled without real malice, and settled by the table to look at the food that was brought. He watched as a small entourage of servants entered next to nervously set a dead deer-like animal before Fenrir. They quickly fled while the wolf dug in.

Odin looked fascinated. "You can do that?" He asked.

Harry picked up a piece of what appeared to be a banana, only three times bigger than what he was used to. "Yep. It's a prank hex. Not much fun for the victim." He answered absently. He transfigured the mead he found in the large tankard he was provided into water, figuring that anything that could get the gods drunk would probably be way too strong for his system and end up killing him. Taking a sip of the clear liquid, he sighed. It was some of the cleanest water he had ever consumed.

Actually... he looked at Fenrir, and frowned when there was no drink at all for the wolf. He conjured a large basin and used a spell that wrung water out of the surrounding air.

"Your powers vary greatly, world-traveler." Odin commented, reminding Harry of the man's presence. Harry shrugged and speared a piece of duck with the knife that was brought in with the meal. It was sweet and succulent, and he wondered if he could get the recipe.

After his grumbling stomach was satisfied, Harry finally turned to talk to Odin.

"So, you said you brought news. What sort of news?" He prompted. The god sat beside him.

"Heimdall wishes to speak to you at your earliest convenience on the morrow, world-traveler." Odin answered.

The wizard place his chin in his hand while his elbow rested on the table. "Call me Harry. And why does he want to see me?" He asked curiously.

Fenrir finished his deer and began drinking the water enthusiastically. Harry turned for a moment to smile at him.

When he turned back, Odin was eying him speculatively. "You are fond of the wolf already?"

Raising one eyebrow and crossing his arms, Harry responded, "What of it? And you didn't answer my question."

For a moment things were tense, but Fenrir burped in satisfaction, breaking the atmosphere while Harry snorted and Odin laughed.

The god shrugged. "I do not know what to tell you. No one knows the motive behind most of Heimdall's actions, and this request for your presence is no different. Though my son tells me that the All-Seeing claims you may prevent Ragnarök."

Harry frowned slightly. "What's Ragnarök?"

Odin mirrored his expression. "It is... both the end, and the beginning."

Rolling his eyes, Harry huffed. "Because that's specific."

"Ragnarok is the fate of the gods. It is said that there will be disastrous events, both natural and not, that will affect life here greatly. It is foretold that I, my sons, and many others will die." Odin replied after a thoughtful pause.

Harry bit his lip. "So it's pretty much your version of the apocalypse. But how is it also the beginning?"

Odin shrugged his broad shoulders. "That part is far more fluid than the end. It is said that the gods who are killed during the events of Ragnarok will be reborn, but..."

Harry caught on. "You're not sure if you'll really be reborn, and don't want to take the risk. I see."

Odin nodded at the perceptive wizard. "If it were just I whose life would end, I would not worry myself. But my sons..."

"You don't want your line to die out. I get it. But I'm not sure how I can help with that." Harry said.

"That might be answered by Heimdall tomorrow, so do not worry world-traveler. In the meantime, you look like you have some questions of your own." Odin prompted.

The wizard rubbed the back of his neck. "I do have two questions, but one of them is a bit... personal, I guess. They're both sort of about Loki, in a way."

The man before him seemed to age a decade in that moment, as an expression of sadness and self-loathing flashed in his single eye. "Loki is gone, lost to the space in between."

Harry placed a comforting hand on the gods muscled bicep. "That answers one of my questions already, then. My other is about Fenrir. In the legend I remember, he is Loki's son."

"That is true."

Harry frowned. "Then why do you treat him so mistrustfully?"

Odin drew himself up. He would not have his actions questioned by this human. "That is a part of the Ragnarok prophecy. It is said Fenrir will be the one to kill me. To prevent it, we had him banished to the woods on the day of his birth. But he is so vicious that no one would contest him when he followed you into the castle. But we have your word that he will not harm anyone while under your care."

Sitting forward, Harry thought that over. "So, in order to prevent him from killing you, you sent him away when he was only a newborn?" Odin nodded. "But... that's like kicking a puppy that you think will be vicious one day, in order to make it afraid of you. One day that puppy will be grown, and your kicking will have made it vicious. Had the puppy been raised with a soft hand and affection, there would be no need to worry about violence." Harry said.

Odin just looked confused. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I follow."

"If you had raised Fenrir, the son of your adoptive son, which by the way makes him your grandson, here with love, then there would be no need to worry about him killing you! He would love you too much to do so! But now he's been raised to think you mean him harm, so of course if worst comes to worst he will fight back." The wizard said in a low, vehement voice.

Tat sent Odin reeling. "I did not... think of it in that manner..." He admitted. Harry shook his head.

"I've seen a situation sort of like it, in my first world. And plenty of times since. It seems to be a popular circumstance in some way." He murmured, moving away from the god to gently pat the snoozing wolf.

Odin, too, got up with a thoughtful look on his face. "I have to think on this, world-traveler. I bid you goodnight."

Wolf and wizard were left alone.

* * *

Sorry about the delay. I got abducted by my older sister, and she doesn't have internet at her house. But she does have a really annoying son, who is as of right now bothering me. Anyway, here you are. No, it wasn't Loki, sorry for those who thought it was. He's still either floating around space, or a guest of the Chitauri. Polls up. Go vote if you want to.

Lionna


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own._**  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

The next morning found Harry and Fenrir meandering their way from the castle to the Bifrost, ignoring the Asgardians who were pointing at them and whispering to each other. It was nothing new to the wizard. Instead he was paying attention to the surroundings, committing them to memory. It was a habit he had picked up during the war, pounded into him by Mad-Eye Moody.

He could almost hear the paranoid wizard's voice. "Know your surroundings, Potter! If they aren't familiar, make them familiar! Then maybe you won't die."

Shaking his head with a ruefull smile, Harry was glad he had taken that advice to heart. There were many times when it saved not only him, but his friends and allies as well. "I wonder what Heimdall will have to say to me, what do you think Fenrir?" He asked the wolf that stood head and shoulders over him. The wolf huffed and nuzzled him with a pathetic look in his eyes that just made the wizard laugh. "Oh, don't give me that, beggar. You know that the rabbit is for later!" Before he left he had been given food for both his companion and himself, and currently had a giant raw rabbit shrunk down in his pocket with a preservation charm on it so it didn't start stinking. His own meal was similarly shrunk and in the other pocket.

With a put upon sigh, Fenrir trotted a bit ahead, reaching the Bifrost a moment before Harry. He was laying a little ways away from Heimdall, looking as put down as if Harry had never fed him. Laughing, the wizard reached into his pocket and tossed the tiny rabbit, wandlessly unshrinking it as it sailed through the air towards the wolf. Fenrir fell upon his meal ravenously.

Rolling his green eyes and readjusting his glasses, Harry turned towards Heimdall who was smiling, though it seemed like the man rarely did that.

"You are good for that creature." The god said, his voice slow and deep. It reminded Harry of an avalanche. The wizard shrugged slightly.

"I don't know, he seems the same to me. He's an intelligent fellow, though, more so than people give him credit for."

Heimdall nodded. "I observed your conversation with Odin last night. You have given the King much to think about, and for that I am grateful."

His brows furrowing in confusion, Harry replied. "Er... Okay. So you really see and hear everything then?"

Heimdall nodded.

Tilting his head, Harry asked, "That's got to be uncomfortable, having to witness when people get... intimate, right?"

Heimdall snorted. "Originally I'll admit I was disquieted, but for centuries I have been forced to witness acts of intimacy, as you so delicately put it."

"But still, you know every time one of your friends is getting freaky with someone else." Harry shuddered. Just the thought of having that sort of knowledge was kind of creepy.

Raising one eyebrow, Heimdall said, "Getting... freaky?"

Blushing, Harry ducked his head. "You know, having sex." Jeeze, he was somewhere around eight hundred years old, and still blushed like a teenager when sex was mentioned. Granted, he physically _was_ a teenager, but still.

"You have an interesting way of speaking, world-traveler." Heimdall replied.

"So glad I could entertain you." Harry drawled. "Anyway, Odin said you wanted to talk about something, most likely this Ragnarök thing, and my part in it. How in the world would I stop some big 'end of the world'?"

Heimdall motioned to Fenrir, who was contently cleaning his paw, the rabbit gone. "You have already started, young world-traveler."

"Um... Fenrir is supposed to kill Odin somehow, right?" Harry smiled as the wolf stopped mid lick when his name was mentioned, looking comical with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his eyes intent on the two men. "He doesn't look like he could kill anyone."

Heimdall observed as the wizard moved closer. The Master of Death and the King of the Forest. He could not have found a better match had he tried.

"Yes, well, with you around he seems more at ease somehow. I suspect part of it has something to do with the effect the phoenix tears had on your vocal cords. Before you arrived, however, he was just another wild and often violent animal. The only other person he was so calm around was Loki. And even Loki couldn't lead him into the heart of Asgard as calm as he is." Heimdall explained.

That cause a whole slew of new questions to rise in the wizard's mind. "Fawkes' tears did something with my vocal cords?" He asked first.

Heimdall smiled. "I'm surprised you didn't notice, young world-traveler, that when you are calm and speak in a soft voice, others around you become calm. When you are happy and jubilant, others are as well."

Harry blinked. "I-uh... I guess I've never had the chance to notice, really. Is anything else in my body changed that I wasn't aware about, if you don't mind telling me?"

Heimdall waved a dismissive hand. "I would not deny your curiosity, wizard. You've had so little chance to ask questions of someone without fear of bias. Ask any that plague you whenever you think of them. You will always find me here, after all. As for the changes to your body, I believe that the venom of the Basilisk gave you resistance to most, if not all poisons. You retain the ability to speak Parseltongue, even though the soul fragment that gave you that extraordinary gift. As for the things the Hallows have bestowed upon you... well, no even I am sure of their full extent."

"Thank you." Harry breathed. Heimdall was right, no one had ever answered a question of his without trying to also push their view upon him. He filed away the fact that there were other things the Hallows gave him than the obvious twisted immortality for later. "I do have another question. Loki, Fenrir's father... what happened to him?"

He sat beside Fenrir, spellbound, as the All-Seeing recounted a tale of banishment and jealousy, of lies and love.

At the end, he sat back against Fenrir's shoulder. "Poor Loki." He murmured.

"Loki? Most who know that full tale sympathize with Thor, not the lost one." Heimdall said curiously, but there was a hidden quirk to his lips.

Harry shook his head. "Thor and Jane Foster can see each other again, I think. But Loki was lied to for most of his life, and that's a pretty big secret to keep from a kid for a few centuries. It's no wonder he felt the need to prove himself to Odin, or was jealous of Thor. It's obvious to see Odin favored Thor, though Loki had no idea why." He ran his hand through Fenrir's hair, absently thinking it was long past time to give the large animal a bath. "It's no wonder he grew up a bit messed up. Though I'm sorry he froze you... But if you think about it, he didn't kill you, shattering you when he could have. I don't think he really held any malice towards anybody."

"You knew one like Loki." It wasn't a question. Harry answered anyway.

"Yeah. His name was Severus Snape. The situations weren't very similar, but the results the same. A misunderstood man who was just trying to make his way in the world by doing what he thought was best." Green eyes were drawn to the edge of the rainbow bridge. "And suffering for it."

Shaking his head to clear the melancholy thoughts, Harry stood. "So how would I go about preventing Ragnarök?" He asked after a long, pregnant pause.

Heimdall gestured to Fenrir. "Like I told you, you have already set the wheels turning by befriending the beast. Just continue as you would, and everything else will fall into place around you."

"So... be myself? I can do that." Harry replied. "Are you hungry, Heimdall? I think I packed more than enough for two."

Heimdall paused. It was not often that someone treated him like an equal. Usually those around him were too uncomfortable, knowing that he knew their every secret, to treat him like anything other than a greater man than they. He had never been so casually invited to a meal.

"I... would like that... Harry."

* * *

Another chapter! And I have escaped from my sisters house with nary a scratch! Yay!

Lionna

PS: The poll will close on the day I post chapter eight! Get your vote in now if you want your voice to be heard! So far Loki/Harry is in the lead!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

Heimdall apparently did not get much of a chance to talk to other people, because Harry and Fenrir sat there for a few hours while the man just talked. Not that it was an indisposition to sit there and listen to him as he told stories that ranged from sad to hilarious that he had collected in his long life of observation. With his captivating voice and intriguing stories, Harry probably have listened to the god talk for much longer if Fenrir hadn't whined pathetically.

Harry glanced at his new companion, and wondered what his problem was before it hit him. "You've got to go to the bathroom, don't you?"

The wolf yipped, as if in confirmation.

"I think you were right, in your room before the hallucination took effect. I think he may be an intelligent mind in an animal's body." Heimdall commented. Harry smiled at him. It was a bit disconcerting to know that Heimdall had seen everything since the day he was born, but Harry figured it wasn't the man's fault.

Harry thought for a moment. "Speaking of the hallucination, do you know who set up that rune map on my door?"

"My sister, Sif did. Loki tried as a lad to teach the warriors three, his brother, and my sister the magics that he so easily controls, but none of them took to it like he did. But Sif did excel in one area, runes." Heimdall said placidly.

Scrunching his face up in thought, Harry said slowly, "But... she was still in the throne room when Thor and I left..."

The god sighed. "Thor was instructed to take you on the scenic route and keep you distracted while my sister took the most direct path. Even so, she barely finished by the time you made it."

The wizard grunted. "One last question, then. How do they even know what I was seeing, or how I reacted?"

At this the god looked a bit guilty. "They came to me as soon as you were left in your room."

"You can see into minds, too?" Harry asked, more curious than mad.

Heimdall shook his head, his odd headdress thing glimmering in the weak light of what was left of the rainbow bridge. "Not all of the time. The runes have a modification that allows me access to the hallucination you are seeing as if it were really happening."

"That's brilliant!"

"... You... are not angry?" Heimdall asked. Whenever this tactic had been used before, the one on the receiving end had been furious, with both the rune creator and Heimdall himself. They saw it as some sort of invasion of privacy.

Shrugging, the younger man gathered up the things they had used during their impromptu picnic. "I can't fault any of you for being suspicious of me. And the way you figured out I wasn't a threat was both ingenious and interesting." Turning to Fenrir, who was dancing impatiently, Harry commented, "You know, this guy acts more like a puppy than a grown wolf..."

"Because he is." Heimdall confirmed.

Harry blinked in shock. "You mean he's going to get _bigger?_ But he's got to be several centuries old by now..."

"Like the rest of us, the son of Loki ages slower than natural creatures. In our eyes and his actions, Fenrir is just a pup." Heimdall said. Harry shook his head ruefully.

"At least he's house trained." He sighed, much to the god's amusement. "Alright, you great brute, let's get you somewhere to relieve yourself. See you later, Heimdall. This was fun. I would love to do it again, if you don't mind."

Heimdall paused. "I would... I would like that."

Wolf and traveler walked away.

* * *

Harry and Fenrir were wondering around what the wizard assumed was the town square of sorts after their picnic lunch with Heimdall. Instead of reeling the wolf in while he dashed around sniffing things excitedly, like he would have done before, Harry allowed the animal free movement as long as he didn't just anyone. Pups will be pups, after all.

And now that he was looking at his companion, he could kind of tell Fenrir was young. He still had patched of puppy fuzz.

That was where Thor found them, Harry watching from a seat at the fountain while Fenrir terrorized a flock of pigeon like birds for his amusement. The wizard was grinning, and his green eyes were dancing with happiness.

Thor settled beside him to watch the animal too. His father had said something to him this morning that had gotten the blond god thinking. It had never occurred to him that this creature was his brother's son, thus making him Thor's nephew.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry broke it himself. "Good afternoon, Thor. What brings you here?" Not that he minded the company, but the god did not seem like the type to often sit in silent contemplation.

"Fenrir is... my nephew." Thor said slowly, as if tasting the words.

Harry hummed, stretching like a cat in the bright sunlight. "If not by blood, then by adoption." He confirmed neutrally. He took out his wand with a sudden idea. Now his expression filled with mischief. A whispered _Aguamenti _caught the large wolf by surprise, and he yelped in shock while he was suddenly doused in cold water.

He looked over in their direction through dripping wet fur. With a playful growl, he charged forward and knocked the now laughing wizard into the fountain he was sitting on. The animal then jumped in behind him.

Thor watched in baffled amusement as wolf and wizard played in the water for a bit, seemingly partaking in a mock battle with water as their only weapon, before they both pulled themselves out after half an hour. They were soaked to the bone, and Fenrir was grinning in the way only wolves can grin. Thor in turn was soaked when Fenrir shook himself vigorously to rid his dark fur of water. That just caused it to stand in interesting peaks all over his body, which set Harry to laughing again while Fenrir huffed in irritation.

After a while, Harry and Fenrir were settled together to dry in the sun while Thor looked on.

After the large animal seemed to doze, Thor finally spoke again. "I was led to believe that he was... that he did... Fenrir is a lot less blood thirsty than I was told."

Harry shrugged. "He's really just a pup. He might have been a bit violent before, but only most likely to protect himself. He has lived in that forest all his life, and I doubt he's always been the biggest and baddest thing there. He had to fight to survive. And when you do that..." The man's eyes grew distant. "Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop fighting..."

Thor frowned. After his sojourn on Midgard, he had come to see parts of his world differently, and apparently that had yet to stop. Seeing the unsure look in the god's eyes, Harry stood and gestured him over.

The god approached cautiously. It was hard to break the impressions built up over centuries, ad he was still a bit wary of Fenrir, who had opened one large yellow eye to observe what was going on. Harry grabbed his arm, and dragged him the rest of the way over to stand before the large snout.

"Fenrir, this is your uncle Thor. Thor, your nephew Fenrir." The traveler said grandly. Fenrir's eyes were filled with mistrust, but he snuffled at the offered hand.

"All right, then." Harry said happily.

_'All right, then.'_ Thor thought with bemusement.

* * *

Heimdall smiled as he witnessed the playful antics of the world-traveler. Already he was setting far more into motion than he was aware.

* * *

And that's chapter six! I have decided that no matter the pairing that wins, it really won't be in this main story. In this I want to focus on Harry and Fenrir, without the added drama and angst of a romance. So the pairing will be depicted in an optional side story that really won't have any effect on the plot. Love to you all!

Lionna


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Seven**_

They were still at the fountain, just taking in the sun, when three men came running up, all calling jovially to the blond god. When they got closer, they all stopped suddenly, nearly tripping over each other. "Loki?" The shortest one, a man with a thick red beard and hair, was the first to speak.

Once again the wizard found himself at the wrong end of a handful of weapons. "You know, this is starting to be a recurring theme around here..." He grumbled.

He blinked, and Fenrir, who had been asleep and sunning himself just out of view, charged toward them with a snarl.

He saw the men with the cruel weapons pointing them at his packmate, and it would not be tolerated. He would rip the to pieces before they could cut his packmate's flesh!

The three men jumped back, either ignoring Thor's shouts about how he wasn't Loki, or just not hearing them, and made to charge forward to engage Fenrir in battle.

Sighing, Harry held out his hand to the combatants and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus !"

The three men and over sized wolf pup froze in place.

Stepping between the frozen figures, Harry turned to address Fenrir first. "Something tells me these guys are friends, so no eating them just yet. Unless they aren't friends... in which case, buffet, right?" He countered the curse on his companion, who sat on his haunches with his tongue lolled out, watching with avid eyes.

The wizard then turned to Thor. "So... these guys?"

Running his hand through blond hair, Thor poked the tall Asian looking one with a look of fascination. "The Warriors Three, my closest friends and brothers at arms. What did you do? I do not think Loki could do such a thing as ceasing all movement in others.."

Nodding quickly, Harry spoke to the still bound men. "My name is Harry Potter. Not Loki. Yes, that's Fenrir, but if you try to hurt him again after I counter the spell, he has permission to eat you, friend of Thor's or not. I can make it so that, if he does eat you, you stay whole and alive, unaffected by stomach acid and the like. Not as pleasant as it sounds, because then you have to exit in the classic way. Got it?"

There wasn't an answer, of course, but he didn't expect one. He withdrew the spell and stepped back, ready to act if he found it necessary.

"That was... interesting." The blond warrior was the first to speak, and Thor clapped him heartily on the shoulder. Harry winced, that sort of thing would most likely have sent him toppling to the floor. The man seemed greatly unaffected, though.

"Wolf-Tamer, this is Frandral," The blond. "Volstagg," The red haired one, "And Hogun." Who looked a bit like the old pictures Harry had seen of the Huns.

Harry raised his hand slightly in a sort of wave. "A pleasure to meet you." He said blandly. When none of the Warriors made a move to either attack or greet him, he shrugged and faced Fenrir. "Right, so no eating them. We'll get you one of those deer things when we get back to the castle." The wolf grunted and flopped heavily to the ground.

Hogun crossed his arms. "I had heard that one who looks like the lost one, but is not, was keeping the company of the wolf. I'll admit, I did not believe it." He lifted one eyebrow in Harry's direction. "The fact that you have control over magics and the wolf only makes you more suspicious."

Harry glanced at him over his shoulder. "You can ask Odin if you doubt my word, not to mention Thor's." Redirecting his attention to Fenrir, he said, "Alright, you big glutton. Let's head back to the castle, or whatever they call it. We've been scaring people away from this fountain for long enough, I think. We'll get you dinner, and then I'll find out if there's somewhere big enough for me to give you a bath."

With a groan, Fenrir heaved himself to his feet. He liked this new pack member. He played with him like father never did, and fed him so Fenrir did not have to hunt for himself. Though he consorted with the men with cruel weapons, he did not let them turn their weapons on Fenrir. The only thing that would make it better was if his packmate allowed him to eat the men...

Harry glanced back at Thor. "Don't think I've forgotten your question, just come looking for me later and I'll explain the body binding spell if you want."

* * *

A few weeks later, they were just about to settle in to sleep, when Harry paused, and Fenrir tilted his ear up as if listening to something.

"So you heard it to, huh? I wonder what the hubbub is about?" The human muttered. He was about to shrug it off when there was a knocking on the door. "Who is it?" He called, the lesson with the rune-induced hallucination not forgotten.

Thor's voice answered from the other side. "Wolf-Tamer! Something has happened, and Heimdall calls for us both!"

"All right. I'll be out in a bit." Harry answered. He shrugged back into the tunic and breeches he had worn that day. A glint caught his eye, and he found himself looking at the armor that Odin had gifted him with a few days ago. "Can't hurt to wear it, right?" He asked his companion, who wuffed softly in answer. Harry put the breastplate and shoulder guards on as well. They were light enough even for him to move freely, but made of a metal not found commonly on Earth. Harry had requisitioned some to make a protection suit for Fenrir as well, and he stuck the shrunken bundle in his pocket.

The wolf looked at him curiously.

"Well, I have a feeling about this, and my feelings are rarely wrong. I don't think we'll be coming back here any time soon. But if we do, and I am wrong, it would be far better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it, right? I can always unpack it later." Harry asked. He threw open the door and both wolf and wizard walked out to meet an anxious faced Thor.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as they rushed towards the Bifrost. He was once again on Fenrir's back as the wolf ran, keeping pace with Thor.

The god shrugged. "I do not know, but rarely does Heimdall summon others. He only does so when there is cause for it. Father is already there. I believe it has something to do with the lost one."

"Right then. Fenrir, we may or may not be seeing your daddy." The wizard said. He jumped nimbly off the wolf's back when they reached the other two gods. "Odin. Heimdall." He greeted shortly. The men nodded.

"Space-Walker. Thor. I have found Loki." Heimdall told them, not one to waste time with pleasantries.

"Where?" Thor asked, and his tone fluctuated between relief and sadness.

"On Midgard." Odin was the one to answer.

Harry hummed thoughtfully. "How did he get there? Wasn't he floating around in space somewhere?"

Odin looked out into space, as if he could see his adoptive son on the other planet like Heimdall could. "My son has... come to an agreement. With the Chitauri."

Harry glanced over at Thor to see if that held any more meaning to him as it did to Harry. Nope, just as blank and confused. "The Chitauri?" He prompted.

"A race of blood thirsty shape shifters. They have been exiled to the farthest reaches of space, where not even I could see. Apparently that was a mistake. They have made an accord with a vicious, power seeking being. The being, called Thanos, discovered that the Tesseract was on Midgard, and made a deal with the lost one. He was to bring him the Tesseract, and they would give him enough forces to take over Midgard." Heimdall sighed. "He has already obtained the cosmic cube. Now he looks for a way to use it to open a portal between the worlds to allow the army to reach Midgard."

Harry looked over at the rainbow bridge, cursing in his mind. Even an over powered reparo would not fix it, and as far as he knew, it was the only way to go to Earth from here. The magics that created it interfered with his own. "So what are we going to do? I assume you have an idea, else I wouldn't be here. Thor and Odin, I can see because they're related to him, but me? I've never even met Loki."

"It is your ability that we are interested in, young world-traveler. I believe I can effect it enough that it would send both you and Thor to Midgard, instead of across space and time as you are used to." Heimdall said cautiously.

Harry tilted his head. "Are you sure? Because if this messes up somehow, and Thor and I end up doing what I normally do, then there would be no way at all to get him back." He turned to Thor and Odin. "Do you want to risk your heir like that?"

Thor drew himself up. "I am a grown man, and can make decisions for myself. I would trust Heimdall with my life, and if he says it is possible, then I have little reason to doubt him."

Odin shifted uncomfortably. He was not aware of the risks before, but it was too late to rescind the idea. Though his son had changed a lot in his time on Midgard, his stubbornness had not waned.

He met Harry's eyes. "I hope that, should that happen, you will keep my son safe, and do everything in your power to bring him back to me one day."

Harry heaved a deep breath. "Okay, then." He turned to the dark skinned god. "Just tell me what I have to do."

* * *

And that's chapter seven! As you can see, Nature Laughs takes place somewhere in between the first and second part of this one. So we're getting close to setting off to Midgard, where we'll be joining up with the Avengers! Y'all excited? I sure am! See you tomorrow with the promised early post.

Lionna


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Do not own.

* * *

_**Chapter Eight**_

Odin frowned. "I do have one more request of you, time-walker."

Harry shook his head slightly. "Could we stick to one name, please? You guys are going to start confusing me! Call me Harry!"

The king smiled slightly. "So you keep telling me to do, but never seems to stick, young world-traveler."

The wizard wrinkled his nose in frustration, but let it drop for now. "Right, well, your request then, Allfather?"

"It it... well, part of it is just around this corner." The god answered, looking a bit sheepish.

They moved around the building, to the apparent entrance. That was was where Odin had left his mount. Harry's eyes widened as he moved forward. Fenrir walked with him, scenting the air. While most equine animals would be wary of the wolf moving towards them, Sleipnir just watched them with placid eyes.

The wizard slowly raised his hand in front of the velvet muzzle while Fenrir sniffed curiously at his half-brother's flank. "You know, on my own planet I read that Odin rode Sleipnir. When I got here, I kind of hoped it wasn't true." Harry commented, while the horse shifted his head to the side so that he could rub his neck.

Odin frowned slightly. "It was but after our... conversation your first night here, I took the time to not only think about the Fenris Wolf, but the only other one of my son's children whom I kept close. I see how you treat your companion and... Not long after Sleipnir was born, I began training him to be my mount..." He trailed off.

One wry green eye peeked over a thin shoulder at him. "It's pretty much the same thing that it was with Fenrir, isn't it? Loki's son... your grandson. You let prejudice cloud your judgement, Odin Allfather." For a moment, he did not sound like the teen he looked like, but like the ancient being he actually was.

"Father...?" Thor's tone was questioning. Heimdall chose to stay silent and let the situation play itself out.

The grey haired god sighed wearily, and it reminded the wizard that, no matter his own age, he couldn't hope to match the millennium the other man had lived through. "I know that now, world-walker, which is what brings us here. I thought that now would be the perfect time to ask. I would like you to bring this creature under your wing as you have the wolf."

Harry looked a bit shocked. He wouldn't peg the other man as one who would admit his own faults easily. " I uh... well, yeah, I have no real problem with that, I guess." He said, his tone light in bemusement.

Odin's shoulders drooped slightly, as if a large weight he had been carrying had dropped away from them. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

Fenrir sniffed at the air, smelling the eight legged horse that smelled like kin. He did not have the same smell of power as father or his packmate, but he had a slight undertone to his scent that Fenrir could recognize from his own.

Harry suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie wash over him, and he paled, looking over at Fenrir, who was now washing his half-brother's ears while the horse stood still and just took it calmly. Oh no...

"I will admit that after I left your rooms that night, I felt a bit of anger at you. Who were you to question how I raised my children?" Odin explained, breaking Harry from his thoughts and bringing him back to the here and now. He could do something about the now obvious bond forming later... right? "But... then I began to question it myself, and found my tactics come up... wanting." Odin continued, not realizing the inner turmoil of the other man.

Harry placed a hand on the man's broad shoulder. "There's no right way to be a parent, Odin. There are plenty of wrong ways, and I've seen most of them. But no way is totally right. And you learn as you go along."

"You sound as if you are experienced with parenting." Odin pointed out.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Well... you know... like I've said, I've seen all the wrong ways and... tend to save the kids who I see treated badly. I can't tell you how many kids of how many species I've adopted over my travels." The wizard admitted.

Thor grinned. "Much like you did Fenrir?" He teased lightly, and Harry blanched.

Turning to look at the wolf he thought about how he treated him and... yes, it was much like he treated one of the many kids he'd adopted. "You," He said, pointing to the animal, "Start calling me mama, and I'll curse all of your fur off." The wolf just huffed at him and went back to making nice with his half-brother. Taking that as confirmation, the wizard turned back to the gods.

"But that was only part of my request. There are two other parts..." Odin said.

"Two other children of Loki? Jormungand and Hel, right?" Harry sighed, already knowing where this was going.

Odin nodded, his own shiny headdress (and really, did all the gods here wear funky, sparkly hats? As far as Harry had seen? Yes.) glimmering in the faint light given of by the Bifrost. "Both have become too... wary of me to allow me to approach them to apologize and welcome them back to Asgard. But you-"

"I'm the guy who's gonna stop the end of your world, and already have a following of two of their brothers." Harry groaned, hanging his head. He heard Heimdall snicker and glowered at him from that position. Being himself sure took a lot more effort than it used to, he mentally groused.

"Yes. Jormungand is on Earth, which is where you are going. You can talk to him fist. Hel is in the realm that shares her name. As soon as you and my sons return, I will arrange an escort there for you." Odin smiled slightly. "I do not expect them to forgive me so easily, but you talking to them now will begin the mending process."

Thor felt pride in his father well up inside him. He was willing to make amends with the various creatures his brother had borne so maybe... maybe Odin would not punish Loki too harshly for the things he has done as of late.

They began to move towards the entrance that lead to the inner chamber of the Bifrost, carved out of the wreckage, when he heard the wizard mutter something to the horse that confuse him greatly.

"You don't have tentacles hidden in your mouth, do you?"

Sleipnir only snorted in reply.

* * *

Harry was lead into an odd shaped chamber that was centered around a stone dais that he figured held the control that once directed the formerly whole rainbow bridge. He raised one eyebrow when he saw it was a sword in a stone.

"I have no desire to be king of England." He said jokingly, and Heimdall smiled at the reference while Thor and Odin exchanged bemused looks.

The dark skinned omniscient god shook his head. "There are no such connotations with this. What you will do, young time-walker, is simple. Don your Cloak and Ring, and unsheathe your Wand." Harry shrugged and followed the instructions. He distinctly did not smirk at the other two gods' expressions when everything from his neck below disappeared. "Now put your hand on top of mine." Heimdall said, while placing his own hand on the pommel of the sword. Harry did so.

Fenrir and Sleipnir were standing off to the side, apparently acquainting themselves with each other. Harry gestured to them. "Just so no one's confused here, those two are coming with me." His tone brokered no argument. He then motioned for Heimdall to continue his instructions.

"Take a deep breath. Channel your power through all three of you Hollows." Heimdall said, as if he was discussing the weather.

The world jumper did so, and was not really surprised when he felt blackness consume him.

He was Harry Potter. Why should anything go right?

* * *

I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that I would be leaving y'all with a bit of a cliffy while I brave the wilderness! But this chapter needed to be done. I actually originally had Harry and Odin fighting about Sleipnir, but I figured that would be sort of OOC for my Odin... Well, see y'all when I get back!

Lionna


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Nine**_

Harry sat up, and looked around in confusion and apprehension. The last thing he remembered was trying to get Thor, himself, and his ever growing entourage down to Earth. Because of course he wasn't leaving Fenrir and Sleipnir behind to fend for themselves against Asgardians that were not as understanding as Odin and Thor (for some reason the dark haired woman, Sif popped into his head, but he had not dealt with her since his arrival). And unless he somehow managed to land, alone, in a deep cave, this was not Earth.

"Er... Hello?" He called. Not a cave, then. No echo.

But there was an answer. "Hello." A woman's voice replied calmly. She sounded like she was a few feet away, but of course Harry couldn't see in this damned darkness.

"Where am I? And where are you?" He grumbled, pulling himself to his feet. The dark area he was in was suddenly flooded with light. It was a plain white room, sort of like a waiting room, with furniture the same snow white color as the walls and floor.

And he was faced with the cliche anthropomorphic Death, cloak and all.

Really, most people would be more surprised with this turn of events, but Harry had been thrown for so many loops over his long life to find this all that surprising.

"Hello." He said again, his tone bland with acceptance.

"Finally, my Master, you have chosen to fully accept all the gifts she- er- I have given you." Death spoke in the woman's voice from before. Huh, Death was female. Who knew?

His mind registering that last sentence, he lifted one eyebrow and crossed his arms. "And here I thought that Master of Death was just a fancy title that wizards came up with." He said dryly. "So I'm here because I channeled my magic into all of the Hollows?"

The cloaked head nodded. "Oh, yes. You usually don't even touch the Stone, and rarely utilize the Wand and Cloak."

Leaning back against a white wall, Harry tried to get a good look at it-HER face. But it was obscured in darkness cast by the hood she wore. "You know, you sound kind of young to be as old as Death supposedly is." He pointed out.

"And you look quite a bit younger than you are." She shot back, a note of irritation in her voice.

Grinning, Harry replied, "Touche. So, Madame Death, can you tell me why I'm here, or did I finally kick the bucket and _stay_ dead this time?"

She leaned against her scythe, "Oh no, Master, you are quite alive. But utilizing the Hollows initiated... initiated... Crap." She muttered, and shuffled around in the pocket of her volumous dark cloak until with a small cry of triumph, she found what she was looking for. A small stack of note cards.

The wizard watched in slightly bemused amusement as she took a minute to shuffle through them before reading one and putting them back.

"I take it you have had time to plan out this whole scenario?" He teased.

"You have no idea." He could almost see the eye roll that accompanied the sentence, and that sealed it. Death was a teenager.

Before she could stop him, he darted forward and tugged at the back of the hood, allowing it to fall to her shoulders while her face was revealed, annoyed look and all.

She had blond hair, and her eyes looked a bit like Heimdall's. And she was obviously very young.

"You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?" She grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff while the scythe stayed standing where it was, held up by some unseen force.

He shrugged unrepentantly. Then grinned. "You know, I started suspecting once you messed up and almost said 'she', but then caught yourself and inserted 'I', and the whole note card thing sealed it. You're fairly new to this, aren't you? You're either one of many 'Death's out there, or you just took up after the last one. So which is it?"

With an irritated 'harrumph' she answered. "I am fairly new at this. I've only been doing it for a little over a century. But even before I took up the mantle of Death I've been hearing stories of you, Harry Potter. You have no idea how annoyed the last Death was when she retired. Seven hundred years, and yet you never used all three Hollows at once."

He shrugged again. "And how was I to know I was supposed to do that? Anyway, now that my curiosity satiated, what as it you were saying?" He prompted. "And really, you should know not to have attempted to keep secrets around me. The saying 'Curiosity killed the cat' was based off of me, I think. After all, how many of these damned jumps have I ended just because I got a little too curious about something and it killed me?"

"Well, there was that time with the Grunganian Ambassador you followed-"

"Corrupted, just like I knew he was."

"The mating habits of the Hythers-"

"Come on, they had nothing that could be consider genitals. I just wanted to know how the Hell they reproduced. It's not my fault they get violent when they're erm... frisky."

"The time you tried to Apparate into space-"

"That one was on purpose. That planet was entirely empty and uninteresting, no life on it whatsoever, so I wanted to at least jump to somewhere where there was something to keep me occupied."

"The time you followed that man for a week, and he killed you-"

"He was suspicious! And raping children! He wouldn't have been able to kill me if the dratted castration hex wasn't so complex! But at least he can't touch anymore children..."

"You ended up on the planet with the Fryte!"

"Is that what that giant tusked horse was called? Nasty thing, but at least they were more interesting than the empty planet. And I got an awesome potion out of it!"

"Only you could get a 'plus' out of being eaten." Death muttered, then stomped her foot in a distinctly petulant manner. "Can we please get back on topic here?" She demanded.

Harry held up his hands in 'peace' gesture. "Hey. You started it."

Death seemed to be counting back from ten or some other calming method, because after a short time in which she did not reply, she finally spoke. "You're very adept at irritating people, Master."

He grinned. "Yeah, it's a talent. Anyway, where were we before? Oh yeah! I initiated something, but after that you forgot your line."

Regaining hold of her scythe, Death nodded, probably ignoring that last bit. "Right. Well, you initiated something alright. You are now _officially_ Master of Death. Which, among other things, means you can now control your jumps."

"_Officially _Master of Death? I wasn't before?" Then the rest of her sentence struck him. Harry blinked, and pointed an accusing finger at her. "You mean to tell me that I could have done this eight hundred years ago? Why am I just hearing this now? Do you know how much trouble jumping like that, unwillingly, has caused me?"

It was her turn to shrug. "Neither I nor my predecessor were able to talk to you until you activated all three Hollows at the same time. Why is it that you never activated the Stone with the others, anyway?"

Sagging back against the wall, he muttered, "Because who would I summon from 'beyond' at this point? I didn't want to disturb anyone." He perked up. "Wait, does this mean that when you let me back to Asgard, I'll be able to jump to Midgard with no problem? Taking Thor, Fenrir, and Sleipnir with me? How would I do that?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't prove to be a problem for you. It's pretty much the same as the phenomenon you call Apparating. Just think about details of your destination, and you're there. Ask the god Heimdall to show you a bit of the Earth you're traveling to." She was not expecting his next outburst.

"That bastard Heimdall! He knew this would happen!"

With a snicker, Death waved her hand and he faded from the overly white room. She would be seeing him soon anyway.

* * *

I'm baaaaaaack! Apparently, in the part of the world I live in, it's hot this time of year. Who knew. Well, back to the regularly scheduled chapters!

Lionna


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Don't own

* * *

_**Chapter Ten**_

Harry opened his eyes to curious and worried blue eyes looking back at him. When the owner of said eyes noticed he was awake, they filled with relief.

"World-traveler!" Thor boomed in his face, and Harry grimaced. He noticed he was laying on the floor with his head propped on something soft. And that nothing ached in a way that meant he had met the ground unimpeded. Meaning someone had caught him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive. Now let me up." He mumbled, sighing when the man moved back enough to allow the wizard to clamber to his feet. He glanced around, and noticed he was still in the Bifrost chamber. He figured that he couldn't have been out long if they didn't have time to move him. He also noticed that Heimdall looked far too satisfied with himself.

"You." He pointed at the man. "Are an utter bastard." It was said with no real heat. It was probably the Allseeing god that caught him when he fell.

The dark skinned god just smiled. "And you are now officially the Master of Death. Congratulations, Harry."

It was odd for the other two gods to hear the omniscent one refer to someone so familiarly and easily.

Harry grunted. "So what happened? I'm guessing I collapsed or something?"

Thor nodded. "You just started glowing when you were... channeling your magic? And then you suddenly crumpled. Heimdall caught you before you could it the ground."

The wizard hummed thoughtfully. "Right, then. Well, I'm fine, so don't worry about me. It was just a... side effect."

Heimdall interupted. "It needed to happen, as you very well know."

"Yeah, yeah. Remind me to celebrate later. And that I am going to prank you something fierce when we get back from taking care of Thor's brother." Harry replied, brushing off Fenrir and Sleipnir, who had both moved forward to crowd the dias and snuffle at his clothes. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He said to them. "I'm guessing you know what she wanted me to ask you?" He continued to Heimdall. The god nodded. "Don't think this is over. I just have something else to focus on." He warned.

"I look forward to it. The world you are aiming for is called Earth, like you original planet. The georgraphies are much the same as well. _She _will probably be guiding you on your journey, so have no worries. You will not see her, but you will most likely sense her. She'll make sure your aim is true." The dark skinned god told him.

Thor looked torn between wanting to demand they leave now, worry that whatever caused the human to end up on the floor was serious and would need to be treated, and curiosity as to who 'she' was. But apparently the first won over the others. For now. "We will be leaving now, then?" He then shot a thoughtful look to the animals still sniffing the wizard with worry in every line of their bodies, and hesitatingly patted them both on the flank, in a comforting gesture.

"Fine. Alright. You ready to go, then?" Harry asked, sending the god an approving look when he saw the gesture. Thor nodded haltingly. "Then grab my arm, and don't let go. I only have a vague idea how this works, and really don't want to leave your leg behind or something." That caused an alarmed look to fill both royal gods' faces. Thor gripped the offered limb with bruising force. "Great, now put your hand on Sleipnir. I've got Fenrir." In saying, he gripped the large wolf's shaggy fur while the blond man did as he was told. "Alright, and away we go!"

They disappeared with a resounding 'crack!', and Odin blinked. "What... just transpired?"

Heimdall smiled. "You and I need to have a talk, old friend. It's time you got more of the world-traveler's story than what non biased little he already divulged."

* * *

Human and god landed with a jolting suddeness in what appeared to be a dank alleyway. It was thankfully empty.

"Well, at least I can still aim. No one should have seen that." Harry muttered to himself. Heimdall was right when he said that Harry would feel Death guiding them. His line of thought was brought up short when he realized he couldn't feel Fenrir's bulk beside him, yet his hand was still full of fur. He quickly looked, and was brought up short when he saw that he was holding a regular sized wolf pup by the ruff of his neck. A wolf pup that looked none too happy. "Fenrir?" He said in half wonder, half exasperation. The pup yipped and squirmed.

At the same time, Thor said in a halting, unsure voice, "World-traveler, there is something wrong with Sleipnir..." Harry carefully pulled the wolf closer to cradle it in his arms instead of holding it by its scruff, and looked over to see Thor holding the reigns of a normal looking grey horse. A horse with only four legs, instead of eight.

The horse, like the pup the wizard was holding, seemed confused and irritated with its new appearance. Harry sighed. "Alright, I give up. Nothing after this will ever surprise me again." He told the bemused god of thunder. Really, nothing after that... horse-thing with the tentacle mouth... what had Death called it?- a fryte? should have surprised him anymore. But he really hadn't expected this...

He groaned after a moment. If both Fenrir and Sleipnir took on the guise of normal animals on Earth, that meant that finding Jormungand probably just got a whole lot harder. Greeeeat.

Creating a new pocket on his bag that was just the right size, he place Fenrir into it. The wolf whined at the indignity. "You'll survive. We're in unfamiliar territory, and I don't feel safe placing you on the ground in this state." Taking Sleipnir's reigns from the severly confused thunder god he told him, "We'll deal with this later. We need to figure out where we are, and where we need to be." He said briskly. He noticed that he had once again slipped into English.

Thor followed him out of the filthy alley, and both took in the first real view of their new location. Looking at the very familiar skyline, one he had seen multiple times on the telly when he could catch glimpses of it while cleaning, Harry frowned. It was very rarely that he jumped to a world that was _that_ similar to his original.

"I think... I think we're in New York." He said. Thor, who had apparently been thrown off drastically by the change in his newly acknowledged nephews just nodded dumbly. Hopefully his shock would wear off soon.

Sighing, which he seemed to do a lot these days, Harry grabbed the other man by one of the ridiculous straps on his ostentatious armor and dragged him forward. They had to move slowly, as Sleipnir was unsteady and unsure on his four feet.

The wizard noticed that while people gave them a wide berth on the sidewalk, and gave them slightly dirty looks, no one was really phased by their foreign dress, or the fact that Harry was leading was leading a horse down the middle of a New York sidewalk. That should worry him, but he brushed it off to think about later. It was placed farther down the list of 'things that needed serious thought' than his animal companions condition. He really hoped it wasn't permanent.

Thor thankfully came back to himself, walking forward under his own power. "Are we sure these are the same animals?" He asked quietly, apparently exchanging shock for curiousity. Well, at least he could speak English.

Harry nodded slightly. He could feel Fenrir's irritation over the link that was forming against his will. Soon it wouldn't be just feelings, but words until they could communicate fluently without even looking at each other. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Thor reached down to scratch the pup between his ears, and pleasure eclipsed the irritation. Fenrir might have a mind as intelligent as a human's, but Harry figured that he was much much closer tied to his instincts than any human or humanoid. Sleipnir would probably be closer intelligence-wise to the animal he resembled, seeing as his sire was an actual horse.

They arrived at a large, open area relatively soon, and Harry's shoulders slumped with relief. It was a small park like area, with a fountain much like the one he had played in with Fenrir on Asgard. Dragging his three companions over to it, Harry sat down on the edge.

"Right then, we need a plan of action, Thor. Because striking out blind is not an option here." He told the god, absently stroking Fenrir's head.

Thor nodded. "Of course. Loki is our priority. Though father would not be... displeased if we brought back the space cube at the same time."

"The only problem is, how do we find Loki?" Harry continued.

Thor frowned in thought. "We could ask the people I met on my last journey to Midgard. Jane might know something."

Harry nodded slightly, and absently placed the tether charm on Fenrir, allowing the wolf pup to run around and get used to his greatly changed body. "Heimdall told me the story. The only problem is, do you know where Jane is?"

They sat there for an hour, discussing and discarding plans while Sleipnir grazed and Fenrir dozed, having tired himself out from running around.

Neither man noticed the area being surrounded by men and women in black combat uniforms until it was too late. The black clad people moved forward in concert, closing off the escape routes before Thor or Harry could react.

* * *

And that's chapter ten! I've decided I'm gonna post a sort of question/answer thing on my profile. It'll be posted right after this chapter, so go check it out. And if you have a question, just PM it to me, and I'll do my best to answer it.

Lionna


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Harry sighed (again), while Fenrir leaped to his feet and growled. Unfortunately it was more adorable than fierce.

"Loki Odinsson, we have you surrounded. You can choose to come peacefully, or we will employ force." One man barked, and Thor blinked at him while Harry reared back.

He said the first thing that came to mind, of course. "Seriously?! Here too?! I thought being mistaken for Loki would have at least stopped when we left Asgard!" He shouted.

Thor ignore his outrage, instead his face broke out in a large grin. "Son of Coul! I did not expect to see you at all, much less so soon!" He boomed at the speaker.

The balding human seemed unsure what to address first, Thor's outburst, or Harry's. Then again, getting a better look at the man who their scanners said looked a hell of a lot like Loki (he wasn't sure how they worked, but he was always more action than technology based anyway) did not look much like the god of mischief up close. But that was definitely Thor he was with.

"Thor, are you working with your brother?" He asked, his voice neutral while he held his gun steady on the green-eyed, dark-haired man.

Thor drew himself up. "I promised that I would help Earth should you need it, Son of Coul! I would not go back on my word, even should it mean siding against my own brother!"

Harry crossed his arms. "Will no one let me introduce myself before they start pointing weapons at me?" He groused. "I'm not Loki! Hell, I'm not even originally from Asgard!" He gestured Sleipnir to move slightly to the side so that the god-horse was out of the line of fire between one of the other agents and Harry. Harry could survive a bullet. He had the feeling Sleipnir would not. Turning back to the only agent who had spoken thus far, meaning he was probably the leader of this little platoon.

"Can we start over? Hello, my name is Harry Potter, transportation for the big guy here." He deadpanned, gesturing to Thor.

* * *

Phil Coulson had heard a lot of strange stories over the past several years working for SHIELD. He had also heard a lot of incredible things. The story the young man who claimed he was not Loki was both strange and incredible.

'Harry Potter, transportation' calmly explained himself while petting what Agent Coulson had originally thought was a puppy, but upon closer inspection was a young wolf.

The black-haired young man told an obviously heavily edited story about an ability he called 'jumping' in which he moved from world to world, and how he was asked to bring Thor here by Odin.

There was no doubt more to the story, but Coulson, trained as he was, could tell that nothing that came out of the young man's mouth was a lie. Just a lot of half-truths. And if this was only half the story, he was really looking forward to the whole thing.

* * *

After about thirty minutes of careful words and slow gestures so that no one got an itchy trigger finger, Harry finally managed to convince the man, Agent Coulson, that he was not Loki. The rest of the agents soon melted into the shadows cast by the trees at a hand signal the balding man made.

It was then that Harry noticed that, aside from them, the park had been emptied of people. Of civilians. Probably some sort of roadblock mixed with government bluster to keep the innocents out of what would have likely become a war zone had he actually been Loki.

Finally standing up, as he'd been sure doing so before would have him looking like Swiss cheese, Harry walked over to the antsy Sleipnir, who had been growing anxious during the confrontation, sensing danger from the surrounding people. He left Thor to talk with Coulson, because apparently they had been acquainted before and the man likely knew how to find Loki.

"Shh." He whispered, rubbing a soothing hand down the animal's spine. "It's fine, the bad people are gone. There's no more need to worry." Fenrir, who was back in the pocket designated his, yipped in agreement and licked his half-brother's muzzle. The tension in the horse's shoulders slowly eased. Before, he had almost looked ready to bolt, and probably would have either been shot, or mowed down a few agents in the process.

"World-traveler! I have news!" Thor boomed. Harry grimaced. The man seemed to only have two volume settings. Loud, and louder. He looked at him, and nearly blanched.

Standing an the oblivious Coulson's shoulder was Death. He was sure it was her, even though her cloak and scythe were no where to be seen. She noticed his gaze, and waved merrily before fading into nothingness again.

He wondered if there was some significance to Death choosing to stand by Coulson. Maybe it was a warning of some sort. His mind spun with the possible implications.

"-walker! World-traveler! Time-jumper! HARRY!" The wizard jumped, and realized that Thor had probably calling him all the names the man could think of to get his attention.

The dark-haired man shook his head, and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Thor, what was that?"

The thunder-god looked at him oddly, a little worried, probably thinking of his fainting spell in the Bifrost, before answering. "Son of Coul has a way of tracking my brother! We just need to follow him onto his invisible airship!"

... Invisible... airship? Harry shrugged it off. He had never been good with technology in the different worlds. For all he knew 'invisible airships' were fairly common here. No, the only problem was that it was most likely a government vessel. Which was probably filled with more agents. Who would all likely mistake him for Loki. And this day just keeps getting better and better. "It it's not horse accessible, I'm not coming." He told them blandly.

* * *

He had almost wished it wasn't. But apparently, during construction of the massive ship that seemed like it was not streamlined enough to stay airborne as it was, the man who now stood before them had thought of _everything_. Even doorways big enough to accommodate horses. Harry sent scowls at the woman who tried to 'check his bag' when they first got there. She was now standing at the large, fierce looking man's shoulder. He had quickly cast a slight wandless Confundus on her when her insistence got too annoying so she thought he had checked it. Of course, there were spells on it so that the contents were invisible to muggles, but that would probably just make the government monkeys suspicious. Hm... monkeys...

Harry decided with a mischievous grin that if anyone here tried to pull a gun on him or his companions again, or even just annoyed him, they would find themselves a couple steps back in their evolution chain.

"My name is Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD." The dark skinned man introduced himself, bringing Harry out of his thoughts. Like that was supposed to mean something to Harry. This 'Nick Fury' fellow could be the janitor around here, and it would matter just as much to the wizard. Thor shook the man's hand enthusiastically, probably almost breaking his arm. Fury took it stoically. When his arm was released, he said, "Thor Odinsson. I've heard a lot about you." He then turned to Harry with a speculative look in his eye. "But you, on the other hand..."

"Harry Potter. Transportation." The wizard said with a grin.

Fury smiled in that infuriating, all knowing politician way. "I doubt that's all you are, Mr. Potter." Even after taking several political roles in several different worlds, Harry still hated politicians. Especially ones who thought they were omniscient.

Raising one eyebrow, Harry crossed his arms smirked. "Maybe, maybe not." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But for the moment that's all that matters."

Fury's expression darkened slightly. "I thought you were here to help capture Loki."

Sleipnir, who seemed unsure of what to make of this whole 'in the sky' business pressed against Harry's side for comfort. "_He's_ here to help capture Loki." Harry pointed to Thor, who had been distracted from the interaction between the Director and the wizard by Coulson. "I'm here to get them back to where they belong. And talk to a snake, actually. Hey, you guys seem pretty much on the up and up with what's going on around here, you wouldn't happen to have heard anything about a snake big enough to encircle the world living somewhere in the ocean?"

Fury looked slightly thrown off by the sudden change in topic. It did not escape his notice that the man had said '_talk_ to a snake'. "I can't say that I have. I assume you're talking about Jormungand, right?" At Harry's look, he explained, "After Thor's last visit, I made sure to brush up on my Norse Mythology."

Harry nodded, and they fell into a debate over whether or not the myth could match reality, or if it was going to be as hard as he imagined to find Loki's son. Harry knew that the other topic was not permanently dropped, of course.

Fury was not the kind of man to quit.

And Harry was not the kind of man to give in easily. This could get interesting. He was quite looking forward to it.

* * *

So Harry meets Fury! Sorry I have Harry didn't turn any of the ninja agents into chinchillas or anything, but there's hope yet! Monkeys in monkey suits... heh.

Lionna


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve**_

They were on the airship, which Fury proudly called 'the Helicarrier', when he met another members of the ragtag team that the man had thrown together.

And Harry was truly in for a shock.

He came face-to-face (well, face-to-pectorals really) with someone he had honestly thought he would never see again.

He had left the large control room, walking around the ship with his two animal companions to both explore and hopefully find a bathroom, when they literally ran into each other.

Harry wasn't looking where he was going, instead his gaze was directed at Sleipnir, who had adapted rather quickly to having half the number of legs he was used to. "So, from the way I remember it, you're older than Fenrir. Which explains, kind of, why you're a full grown horse instead of a colt. But that still doesn't explain _why_ you two changed at all-" He was cut off by the sudden jolt of hitting what could only be a wall, it was that solid.

"Glen?!" Alright, not a wall then.

Harry froze right there. He knew that voice. Turning slowly, disbelievingly, he looked up. And up. "... Captain?" He said slowly. He knew there was a possibility that this wasn't the man he had fought alongside, as some places had exact look alikes. He could attest to meeting several. But no look alike would call him by a name he had used at one point.

Which meant this was definitely the man he had befriended and fought in a war with several dozen jumps ago.

The blond looked down at him with surprise written clear across his face. "I-I saw you die!"

Because this whole day just wasn't messed up enough. Harry groaned lightly and leaned slightly against Sleipnir's side. This explanation was going to be _fuuuun. _The least Heimdall could have done was warned him that he'd jumped to this planet before!

* * *

Three hours later, the two were back in the control room sitting at what Harry had figured before as a table set up for the 'team' Cap had told him Fury was building, chatting amicably. Fenrir was chewing on one of Harry's shoes, which Harry was well aware of but didn't really care about because a 'reparo' would fix any damage later, while Sleipnir was leaning against the back of Harry's chair and eating fresh hay that SHIELD just happened to have.

The wizard wondered again if Fury was just prepared for everything.

"So... Bucky?" Steve prompted after a while. Harry was surprised, he figured the man would ask much earlier than that.

Settling back in his chair, Harry replied. "Lived to be... eighty three, I believe. With the difference in time measurements on that next jump, we weren't too clear on it. Didn't date any of the locals, but he did adopt three kids who all adored him."

Steve shook his head, and smiled, a bit of sadness that had hung over him before obliterated. "He didn't date? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, in that world, there was no distinction between genders..." Harry trailed off, and the other man laughed, before growing serious again.

"So when you jumped out of that train..." Steve said, trailing off. Probably as he lost himself to memories that were shockingly fresh. To the poor guy, it had only been a short while ago that Bucky fell to his apparent death, the man he knew as Glen diving after him with a determined expression on his face.

Running a hand through messy hair, Harry amended the actual story slightly. "I caught up with him on the way down, and grabbed him, activating a jump so that he would come with me." What he had actually done was shove the Ring into the other man's mouth and spell it shut so he wouldn't spit it out. Harry then made sure he hit he ground first. When he died, the Ring followed its Master, bringing its container with it.

"But you could have easily died." Steve said worriedly. "You risked your life... To save Bucky. You two weren't even that close."

The dark haired man bashfully ducked his head, "Yeah, but he was a fellow warrior. It wasn't as noble as you make it sound, I knew I would survive." Sort of. He died, but he lived in the next jump.

The Captain would have argued the point if the weren't interrupted by Thor making a loud racket over by one of the consoles. Harry dropped the spells to see what was going on. He felt bad omitting even a little bit of the actual story from the man, but even though he trusted Cap with his life, he was well aware of the fact the man was, above all, a soldier. A soldier that would not lie to superiors.

"World-traveler!" Thor cried, noticing them at that moment (he wondered why he didn't before. He usually had great awareness of his surroundings) "Loki has been found, the real one this time! In the land of many germs!"

Fury, who had just seen them too, frowned. For some reason he had forgotten there was a table there. Which was not like him at all. He had a feeling it had something to do with 'Harry Potter, transportation'.

Coulson brightened at the sight of Captain America. He didn't have time now, because they would probably be sent out after Loki, but when they got back he was definitely asking the man to sign his cards.

Harry snorted. "Sounds unhygienic. You guys can go without me."

Fury scowled. "Stuttgart, Germany. It's fine, your presence will not be required, but Captain, you're up." Before he could even ask Thor to go along, the god was gone. There was no way he was letting anyone go get his brother without him.

As the blond soldier moved off, probably to go change his clothes, Harry heard him mutter, "Why is it always Germany?"

The wizard grinned. This was the Cap he knew. Still a little thrown off by the complete change in the world around him (and Harry could really identify with that) but willing to give it a chance if it meant saving a few lives. Before he had seemed a little... listless. Well, as listless as a man intent on saving the world, even if he had to do it alone, could be. But there was a small amount of deadness behind his eyes, as if he would make sure the whole world was safe, even if he died in the process.

But that wasn't exactly how Harry remembered him. He had been driven, sure, but there had been personal reasons behind each of his actions, and though it seemed like he had a complete disregard for his own life, it was really more that he held other lives to such a high position that he would risk everything to save them.

Harry, known as Glen Harper during the fateful jump in which he met Steve Rogers, had been one of the honored men on Captain America's team. He would have followed the man to Hell and back again, maybe because he saw so much of himself in the soldier.

Harry leaned forward a bit, resting his elbows on the cold table and chin on his hands, he figured he had a moment to spare to think about it. The way he saw it, he figured no one had even thought about the fact that the man had, for all intents and purposes, just gotten out of a war. He was still locked in battle mode, but with no one left to fight for.

So maybe, with a familiar face around, and knowing that Bucky lived a full and happy life (and didn't actually die because of him) maybe Captain America would let a little bit of Steve Rogers shine through. Merlin knew that Loki would need the compassion and empathy that Steve was so good at.

* * *

An hour later found Harry petting a snoozing Fenrir while he talked to Sleipnir. The horse didn't seem to show the same level of intelligence as his half brother, probably due tot he fact that his sire was not, in fact, humanoid, but he was still far from a dumb animal. Because he couldn't speak, Harry was pretty much just bouncing ideas off of him.

"Right, so, you guys look like normal animals here. Which means Jormungand probably looks like a normal snake. If he's still alive at all. I'm not sure if you will age at a normal rate befitting your bodies here, or if it's just a guise and you are just as immortal as you were before." He carefully stood up, still cradling the sleeping pup. "But even if he is alive, he's gonna be a pain to hunt down. But... the legend says that he is big enough to encircle the Earth and all that..." Pacing, he spun, unheeding of the single eye following him.

"Maybe... maybe he grew as he aged. Maybe he originally looked like a normal snake, but kept growing past the constraints of one..." Fenrir wuffed in his sleep, and squirmed. Harry glanced down fondly. The wolf was cute when he was enormous, but being this small made him unmistakably adorable. Not that Harry would ever admit it out loud. What man would use a word like adorable?

He hummed in thought. "But still, the humans here have never found any trace of anything encircling the Earth, though that's what the legend says... Maybe it's an exaggeration." Sleipnir whinied softly and tossed his grey head. "You're right, I'm over thinking this." Harry said, as if the horse had actually told him that.

It was at this moment that a man walked in. He was unremarkable looking, with curly brown hair and submissive posture. Harry would have ignored his presence completely if it weren't for the way every agent who also noticed the man enter stiffened immediately, some even going so far as to move their hands towards places on their person that obviously held a weapon of some sort.

All because of a man. Harry grinned and bounded over, sticking his hand out while Fenrir, jostled awake by his packmate's sudden movement, grumbled in complaint.

"Hi! I'm Harry Potter, who are you?"

The man shook his hand, looking bemused. Probably because Harry did not react like everyone else. "Bruce. Bruce Banner..."

* * *

Surprise! I wasn't too sure about this twist, but a darling friend of mine assured me that she liked it, so here it is! That's two Avengers down, a few more to go! And Harry will be meeting Loki soon, I swear! See y'all Wednesday!

Lionna


	13. Chapter 13

_****_Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter 13**_

Bruce eyed the man, thinking he was odd for what felt like the millionth time. The dark haired young looking male, who called himself Harry Potter, was absently using a leather shoe to play tug of war with a wolf pup, a horse standing placidly at his side while Potter rubbed its flank with his free hand.

"So you're a scientist, Doctor Banner?" Potter asked.

There was nothing normal about this situation. At least, nothing that matched Bruce's definition of normal, and considering what he was, his definition was more than a little messed up. "Uh, yes. I'm a physicist."

The green eyed man smiled. "I've never been too good with science and technology, but I suppose you like it, then?" He grinned down at the wolf cub, just before letting go of the shoe, sending the pup tumbling head over tail across the table.

The guy seemed completely at ease here, sitting barefoot and cross legged in the frankly uncomfortable metal chair, playing with one pet and petting the other, and Bruce wondered if maybe he had fallen asleep in the lab and was having some sort of bizarre dream.

He continued to answer Potter's curious, but non-invasive questions on autopilot while he considered the odd man.

He wasn't flinching back from Bruce, like Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, every agent aboard the helicarrier, and even Captain America had on occasion. He acted like he had no idea what Bruce's story was, when the scientist knew for a fact that everyone here had to.

Potter grabbed his end of the shoe again, when it was offered by the pup, and kept firing questions. "Physicist... what exactly does a physicist do?"

"Well, we study physics, mostly, but my area of expertise is gamma radiation." He said slowly, wondering if this would be what clued the man into what he was. Maybe he was just bad with names, and Bruce Banner alone meant nothing to him, maybe that name in connotation would send him running off like everyone else did.

"That sounds like a difficult field, Doctor, do you find it rewarding?"

What was with this guy? How could he just not know? There was no doubt in Bruce's mind now that he had no idea. The only other option was that he knew and didn't care, but that wasn't even considered. _Everyone_ cared about the Other Guy.

Harry hid a grin behind his hand as the expression on the good doctor's face grew more and more incredulous. He was probably baffled as to why he wasn't reacting to him like the agents around them, who had been taking pains to keep the pair in the peripherals the entire time the pair was talking.

Harry had seen very few interactions like this over his life. If someone was treated with such outright suspicion like this, that usually meant they were an enemy of some sort. But Fury would not let an enemy wander relatively freely around his precious Helicarrier.

He was about to ask the man another question about his work (leading him slowly, but eventually into why he was treated like a leper) when Fury called his name from across the control room.

"POTTER! CAN I SPEAK TO YOU FOR A MOMENT?"

The wizard raised an eyebrow. That was phrased like a question but... Didn't feel like one. He let go of the shoe Fenrir was tugging on again, this time the wolf grew smart and let go at the same time so it just fell with a plop on to the table. He put his chin in his hand and smiled at Banner. "What do you think? I don't think that was very polite of him." He told the man.

Banner looked resigned, though, as if he knew what the dark skinned director wanted, and it wasn't going to be good. Harry frowned. That wasn't a good expression. So he called back, "ONLY IF YOU SAY PLEASE!"

That got Banner, the man couldn't help but snort in a mix of incredulity and amusement. He still looked sad, but at least Harry had made him laugh a little even while Fury was spluttering.

Fury stomped over, and ground out, "Can I speak to you, please."

"Hm... Sure. What's up?"

Fury sighed. "Alone, if you don't mind." He gestured to Banner. Harry smiled.

"I do mind. Anything you have to say to me, I'm sure you can say in front of the good doctor here." He replied, knowing that he was tap dancing on the director's last nerve, and having a grand old time doing so.

Banner just sighed. "It's alright, Director. I was just going back to my lab anyway." He said in a put upon manner, and made to get up.

Before he could do so, though, Fenrir calmed on to his sleeve and growled cutely, tugging at it like he had the shoe minutes before. "Um... Mr. Potter, your... wolf..."

Harry winked at Fenrir. "Good boy. We weren't done talking, Doctor. In fact, it was rather rude of Director Fury here to try to interrupter. And please, call me Harry."

Banner just shook his arm gently to disengage to small, sharp teeth, bid them both good bye, and walked back out of the room. Harry crossed his arms, and Fenrir turned his attention to Fury with a snarl. "That poor guy. Did you really have to run him off, Fury?"

The man just frowned at him. "I know you don't know much about our world, Harry, but-"

"You can call me Mr. Potter, or just Potter, Director."

The other man did not even skip a beat, "There are some things about Doctor Banner that you have to know."

Harry stood, unfolding himself from his cross legged position. He slipped Fenrir into his pack, and grabbed Sleipnir's reigns. "The he can tell me himself, Director." He said coldly, and followed the doctor's path from the room, undoubtedly leaving a fuming Fury behind.

* * *

It didn't take long for the trio to find their company working in some sort of glass room (the lab, no doubt) with a down trodden expression on his face. Harry led Sleipnir in, and Fenrir jumped from the pouch to wonder around the room. "That's one thing I don't like about politicians. No manners at all." He grumbled, making Banner jump.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Harry."

"I thought he would- that he was going to-"

"Tell me some deep dark not-so-secret of yours? He tried, but I figured that if the secret was yours, then it was yours to spread or keep to yourself as you pleased, and walked out."

Banner sighed. "You have to be one of the oddest people I've ever met, Mr. Potter."

"Harry."

"Harry... then you'll have to call me Bruce."

* * *

"So... you unwillingly turn into a giant, destructive, monster when upset?" Harry asked, mainly to confirm it. Bruce nodded sadly, half thinking that he was already going to lose the friendship of this weird man. Before Harry once again surprised him. "That's about on par with every female I've ever met."

The doctor couldn't help but snort.

* * *

"-And so I told them that I couldn't rule their world because-" Harry paused in his story, just as a group of men passed by the window surrounding one man. Bruce turned to look at what had caught the other man's attention, and frowned when the prisoner, Loki (it had to be him) smirked at him.

And then Loki caught sight of the animals also in the room, and stopped in his tracks, causing the guards to prod him in his lower back with their weapon.

Harry crossed his arms. "I don't see the resemblance." He muttered.

* * *

I'm not sure whether I was happy about this chapter or not. I don't think the interaction between Bruce and Harry went quite as I was hoping. Oh well, ladies and gents, LOKI ODINSSON! Much more with him next chapter! See y'all Friday!

Lionna


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter 14**_

Everything was going according to plan, there was nothing, absolutely nothing that could stop the cogs turning as they were supposed to. He couldn't help but smirk as he passed the room the monster in man's clothes was in.

And that's when he saw them. Two animals that resounded with his own energy. And another man who exuded power of a different sort.

He stopped, ignoring the grumblings of his 'guards', as he looked at the animals. A young wolf pup and a grey horse. No.

It couldn't be.

Odin would not let his children here, would not be separated from the powerful mount that Loki himself had given birth to. But the connection was there, he could feel it.

He could also feel a fledgling connection between the two animals and the strange man.

Loki was prodded back into moving by the butt of one of the Midgard weapons.

This... this could be slightly troubling.

* * *

Harry yawned as he and Bruce were escorted by another agent back into the conference room. There was something different about this woman, though, as opposed to every other female agent on board this ship plane thing. She sat with them at the table meant for Fury's little project.

Harry settled the once again sleepy Fenrir into his lap, and ran his hand down Sleipnir's silky nose. Both of his companions were anxious. Fenrir had spent the last fifteen minutes scratching desperately at the wall he had seen his father pass by, tiring himself out. Sleipnir, older, wiser, calmer, just seemed confused that their father had paid them any mind.

Father had never paid his plight any mind, the horse god thought. He had been a slave to the man who smelled of anger and power for as long as he could remember, father visiting very rarely. It had been odd when the stranger who smelled of a different sort of power came, and Sleipnir felt the forced bond between him and the angry powerful man break. He was given to the stranger, but no new bond was forcefully forged. His younger half brother was willingly creating his own bond with the stranger, calling him packmate. Sleipnir had decided to do the same. Father was not considered in his decision, father never cared about him. Stranger was Family now.

Fenrir snuffled slightly, settling into packmate's lap. Something was wrong with father's scent. Whenever father had visited him in the woods, he had always smelled of anger and loneliness, but they were pure feelings. Now they were tainted, and were the only emotions in father's scent, obliterating the other things he could have felt, such as love, and happiness. Fenrir reveled in packmate's calming scent, packmate could help father. Packmate could fix him.

Harry ran his fingers through the animals' fur, and looked at the woman across from him who was pulling up a screen. On it, they could see Loki in a large glass cylinder.

He was alone for now, but Harry doubted he would be for long. The woman had pulled up the scene for some reason, probably expecting a show of some sort.

Deciding to introduce himself before the show could begin, Harry smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

The woman raised one eyebrow. "I know." She said simply, and turned her attention back to the screen.

The wizard frowned. That was unnecessarily rude. Beside him he heard Bruce sigh.

"Natasha, this is Harry Potter, he's here to get Thor and Loki back to Asgard after the Tesseract is found. Harry, this is Natasha Romanoff, spy."

The woman didn't even bother to look up this time. Harry just shrugged. Wouldn't be the first time someone had been less then enthused about meeting him, probably wouldn't be the last. Besides, the expecting show was starting, as Director Fury walked on screen. He grinned as the Captain sat down on his other side to watch too.

Fury smirked at his captive, obviously enjoying the fact that the man was here. "In case it's unclear, you try to escape- you so much as scratch that glass-" He pushed a button on the panel he was standing in front of, and Harry's eyes widened as the floor beneath the cage fell away, and the wind screamed into the room."Thirty thousand feet down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He shouted over the sound, gesturing to Loki. "Ant." Then the panel. "Boot." The hole was then closed.

If the god was scared at all, it didn't show on his face or in his posture, and Harry was starting to get suspicious. Something wasn't right about this situation...

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me." Loki said calmly.

Fury nodded slightly. "Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh I've heard. A mindless beast- makes play that he's still a man." He looked directly at the camera, and Harry snarled slightly. "How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

He ignored what Fury was saying as he turned to Bruce. "He was going to put _you_ in that thing?! I am going- I'm gonna turn him into a toad!"

Bruce raised both eyebrows (never having mastered the art of only lifting one), "Could you blame him? ... and how would you turn him into a toad?"

"The floor drops out beneath it if you hit it! You could _die_ all because he's worried that you might cause some damage to his precious helicarrier!" He raged. "And never you mind the last part..."

Thor frowned, "The world-traveler never told you about his other abilities?"

Steve frowned. "That does seem like overkill. It's not like you can control yourself in that form." He pointed out. "And... other abilities?"

Fenrir sat up, scenting his packmate's anger. Where father's was always directed at others for himself (never for the plights of his children, but Fenrir let that thought go), packmate's anger was for the one man who smelled like two.

Harry sighed and settled into his seat. "I didn't want to mention them, because to these guys it would make me too similar to Loki for their comfort but-"

Cap shook his head. "It doesn't matter right now, besides, even if you have the exact same powers as Loki, I know you wouldn't do what he does. Glen Harper wouldn't do it."

Harry smiled bashfully, even as Bruce patted his hand. He did not miss how the agent, Natasha, was eying him warily, though.

"Anyway, Loki's going to drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" Cap continued.

Thor sighed. His poor misguided brother... he was lucky that the time-walker's anger was focused on the man known as Fury for now. He answered the question. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army, from outer space?" Poor Cap, he seemed pretty much out of his depth here. He was so used to threats from his own world, that the fact that aliens were coming had him boggled.

Bruce hummed thoughtfully. "So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

That caught Thor's attention. "Selvig?"

Bruce frowned slightly. "He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend." Thor answered simply, and the other man winced slightly.

For the first time, the woman that was on the other side of the table spoke. "Loki has them under some kind of spell- along with one of ours."

Harry frowned. "A spell? What kind of spell?"

Romanoff seemed slightly unwilling to answer, so Bruce did it for her. "A mind control spell of some kind."

Harry bit his lip. "How do people act while under it?"

Bruce shrugged, and attention was turned back to Natasha, who frowned. "I have heard that they act much the same, except all of their actions are for the other side. I wasn't there to see it personally. Why do you want to know?"

"I, well... you know what? I don't want to explain this more than once, so can we hold off on the rather long back story until Director Fury comes back?" Harry asked.

Steve smiled at him, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Sure, no problem." The woman did not look like she agreed, but said nothing. Getting serious again, Steve said to no one in particular, "I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here."

"So I'm not the only one who finds this suspicious then?" Harry said. "There's something he wants here, and I want to know what it is."

Bruce shook his head. "I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of-" Harry tuned out the ensuing conversation.

"What does he need Iridium for?" Bruce said thoughtfully, probably just thinking out loud because no one else at the table would have the slightest clue of the answer.

Thus they were all surprised when a new voice answered, "It's a stabilizing agent."

* * *

That's Chapter 14! I know, not much Loki, but Fury had to talk to him first, before Harry could. But hey, a cookie if you remember who just answered Brucey's question! More Loki in the very very near future, and finally some Harry and Loki interaction! See you Monday!

Lionna


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

Harry lifted an eyebrow when a new person stepped into the room, talking rather forcefully to the agent that had first accosted he and Thor when they landed in New York.

Colbert? Coven? Coul... Coulson! That was it.

"It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD. Also means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants."

The man looked at the table where he, Cap (who was scowling for some reason), Bruce, and the woman were sitting. His eyes skimmed over Harry, and a dark eyebrow was raised.

"All right, does no one else see the horse?" He asked, and Harry hid a snort in Fenrir's fur. "Oh, and a wolf cub."

The wizard had honestly thought that it would be Fury who would first make a fuss. He handed Fenrir to Bruce and stood up, moving forward with his hand outstretched. "I'm Harry Potter, and the animals are mine. You look strangely familiar. Have we met before?"

The man drew himself up proudly, and began, while Harry thought, _'Oh, he's __that__ kind of person...' _"You might recognize me if you've seen the news at in in the last several years."

_'Well, this may put a small puncture in that ego of his, but I doubt he'll let much air escape.'_ "I'm sorry, no. I'm not from... around here."

The man looked incredulous, and Cap took that moment to chime in. "Harry, this is Anthony Stark, the Iron Man."

Harry grinned. "So _that's_ why you look so familiar!" He said, and ignoring the confused man, moved around him, calling over his shoulder at Bruce,"Can you keep the pup entertained for a bit?! I need to find where they hide the men's!"

He vaguely heard Stark say, "What just happened?"

* * *

It didn't take long to find the bathroom at all. He had been there before, of course. No, the whole point of this trip was to get to the single room on the whole ship that did not have a camera, don the Cloak, and quietly Apparate out so that the afore mentioned cameras did not see the door open and close but for no one to be there.

From the bathroom, the real search began.

"Point me; stairs." He whispered, the Wand flat in his hand. The tip swung, pointing off to the side. "Well, alright then."

The room that Loki was being held in had a hole that could open to the outside, which meant it stood to reason that it was in the lowest point of the Helicarrier. He had to figure out a way to get around walls when the Wand pointed him there, but after several flights, he finally had enough. "Fine, fine! Point me; Loki!" Like he had before, he followed the Wand's directions until he figured he was standing several floors directly above the god's cell.

Then he Apparated down. Cautiously, of course, because if he over shot it, he would end up out in the air, probably to be sucked up into one of the engines of the ship.

Finally, after several Apparation points, he landed inside the cell, right behind the captured god.

Loki didn't even jump, just turned casually to study the empty air. "I expected you here sooner, stranger."

Harry shrugged, well aware the other man couldn't see him. "Would have been here sooner if this damn place wasn't like a maze. So you're Loki, then?"

Loki nodded imperiously, and obviously did not expect the hay maker that hit his chin. He staggered back, rubbing the afflicted area with an incredulous look on his face. "You?! How _dare you?_ Who _are_ you?!"

The wizard shook out his stinging hand, his smile distinctly satisfied when he saw the other man's chin was already starting to turn blue. "My name is Harry Potter, but your people call me the World-jumper. I'm just here to make sure you make it home safely, of course."

The god charged, but Harry was no longer there. Instead he had popped to the outside of the cell. "I figured that we needed to have a nice long chat on child care."

"So you _are_ the one who brought Fenrir and Sleipnir here?" Loki hissed.

"Yep." Harry confirmed cheerfully. "Couldn't leave them behind on Asgard. I got your father and brother to really think about them, and maybe those guys who call themselves the 'Warriors Three', but other than that, people aren't too receptive of 'em."

Loki came to stand in front of the area he heard the warlock's voice from, careful not to touch the glass of the cage. "Do you think that I would fold so easily, _world-jumper_?" The title fell like poison from the enraged god's lips. Harry just smirked. "The presence of my deformed off spring only make this easier!" He gasped when a firm hand cuffed him upside the head, and swung for the area the body should be, but there was no one there. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" He roared, and a distinctly amused voice answered from the other side of the cage.

"Do you know how much like a petulant child you look right now?"

Loki charged again, and they played a game of 'Find the invisible tormentor' until the dark haired god sat on the ground, panting. Harry, fresh as a spring daisy just shook his head.

"Now that I've got your attention, let's have that talk, shall we?"

His only response was a groan. "You are powerful, warlock, but you will die. I will make sure of it. You will die by my hand alone!"

Settling on the other side of the glass again, Harry frowned. He was expecting something a little bit different with the tales he had heard of Loki from his family and Heimdall. He had expected someone more... cunning. Like the Weasley twins sorted into Slytherin. Not this man, with the light of insanity in his blue eyes... wait a second...

Didn't Thor once tell him that his brother's eyes were green?

"You know, on second thought, I think we'll have that talk later. I have to go ask some important people some important questions." Harry said. "Ta!"

He was gone in a blink of the eye.

He appeared in the control room, throwing off the Cloak unthinkingly. He then held up his hands when guns were instantly pointed at his head. "Woah! Hello again, all."

Fenrir grinned wolfishly, and trotted over to him to tug on his pants leg. He casually scooped up the pup, ignoring the weapons that had yet to be lowered.

"Mr. Potter, it seems that you have some secrets of your own. Care to fill us in?" That was Fury. "I take it that you're the cause of Loki's strange behavior?"

Harry shrugged and the weapons were finally holstered. "Only in the last half hour or so. I am innocent of causing any strange behavior before that."

Fury did not look amused, nor did Romanoff. Stark was looking at him like a new toy. Both Cap and Bruce seemed to have adopted the same philosophy on him, if their matching expressions of amused exasperation were to be considered.

"So you can turn yourself invisible? How? Nano technology is barely close enough for stationary concealment!" Stark moved forward. "Is that some sort of nano cloth?"

Harry grinned. "Actually, Mr. Stark, it's magic."

Once again a dark eyebrow was raised. "I stopped believing in magic when I was three, Potter."

"Well, then, why doesn't everyone sit down, relax," He withdrew a plate from his sack, the preservation charms keeping the items that he placed on the table fresh a if he had just baked them, "Have a cookie. I think it's story time."

Thor had no qualms of sitting down and snagging one. The others watched warily as he bit into it and chewed appreciatively.

"How about I tell you exactly what 'jumping' is, and where I come from, huh?"

* * *

For three hours Harry was peppered with questions, most he could answer honestly (no Statue of Secrecy here) but some he had to deflect (like why exactly he 'jumped'. He had no idea what Fury could do with the information on the 'Master of Death', and had no desire to find out). Somewhere along the way, Fury had gained an extremely smug expression on his face, even while most of the others looked torn between disbelief and amazement. It wasn't until he had turned the chair Stark was sitting on into a cow and back that the wiped the doubt off of his face.

"I knew there was something more to you than you were letting on, Mr. Potter." Fury said after the severely abridged tale was winding down.

Harry shrugged. "And like I said, my jumping is all that mattered... originally. But I think I may be able to help, and there's no way I would choose keeping my secret over however many lives Loki could take in this state."

"So you'll join the Avengers?"

"Nope."

Harry wished he had a camera to record the expression on Fury's face. He's have to settle for the pensieve in his bag later. "I'm not gonna join your frankly mismatched band of heroes, Director. But I will help them as best that I can."

* * *

I know, I know, I'm behind by a bit. Real Life decided to bite me in the round region recently. Between my _darling_ nephew yesterday, and impromptu driving lessons for most of today, I'm wiped out. I hope you like it, I finished it... ten minutes ago ^^U. See you Wednesday... I hope...

Lionna


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

Harry was once again barefoot on the uncomfortable metal chair. He was calmly answering the last of Fury's questions, while gearing up to start asking his own. Fenrir was in his lap, his paws planted solidly on the wizard's chest, whining and looking up at him with begging golden eyes.

"We'll go see him in a bit, Fenrir. I need to clear some things up first." Harry told the shrunken pup. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not that he knew what the wolf wanted. Said wolf huffed in irritation and bounded from his lap to the floor to go bother some of the agents att he control panels, much to Harry's private amusement. "Anyway, Director, that brings us nicely into my topic. There are a few questions I have for you, and Thor, too." He directed that last part at the god, who just looked curious.

It did not escape Harry's notice that the agent Fenrir chose to bother, the woman he figured was Fury's right hand whom he called Hill, was physically fighting the urge not to coo over the downsized runt.

"First, what color are your brother's eyes?" He asked the blond, who frowned.

Thor crossed his arms. "They are light green, world-traveler. Why do you ask?"

Harry just nodded. "That's what I thought." He sighed. "That means this could be a lot more complicated."

Fury's face fell into what had to be a very comfortable expression for it, seeing as he wore it all the time. A suspicious frown. "What are you getting at, Potter?"

Harry didn't miss the fact the dark skinned man dropped the 'Mr.'. A surprisingly petty move for him. He decided not to acknowledge it, though. "When I was talking with Loki-"

"Which I am still unhappy about, you had no clearance-"

"- I noticed that his eyes were blue instead of green!" The world-jumper continued, talking over Fury's interruption. "Now, I'm not sure what that means so..."

"...Changed color? And this is pertinent how, exactly?"

Harry huffed in irritation, "That's what I mean. There could be something behind it, there could not be. I just brought it up in case it meant something to you." He shrugged. "Obviously, it doesn't, so I'll mull it over later. For now, let's move on, shall we?"

"At your leisure, Potter." Fury drawled.

Harry raised an eyebrow. Sure, he had turned down the utter _honor_ of joining Fury's little experimental band of misfits, but that was no reason to be a downright ass. "Anyway, your agent, Romanoff, was talking about how the men who Loki turned to his side were recruited under the influence of some sort of spell. Could you describe the effects to me?"

Thor was still thinking over the last topic, ignoring the other two men now (and a curious Agent Romanoff and Captain America, who were quietly hanging in the back watching the conversation). He had known his brother for many centuries. There was no chance he had gotten the color of his eyes wrong. Was there something that could effect them? Something that could explain his brother's current behavior?

"So, he touched them on the chest with his staff, and they just turned their allegiance to him? Just like that?" Harry was asking. "No... vacant expressions, nothing of that sort? Just normal behavior besides the fact they decided to suddenly switch sides?"

Fury confirmed it. "Why do you ask?"

Harry sighed. "Back on my first world, there was a spell that could control people. It was an illegal spell, one of three, that would get you a life sentence in the worst prison that world had to offer at the very least. They were known as the Unforgivable Curses. They were so bad because there was no shield that would work against them, no known counter spell. Usually, the only way to undo the mind control spell is either if the caster broke the connection between themselves and the victims, or the victims themselves threw it off through sheer force of will."

Romanoff finally contributed. "And you think that Clint and Selvig could be under the influence of something similar?" Anyone else would have sounded painfully hopeful. She managed to sound bored. But Harry wasn't fooled. This 'Clint' must mean something to her. Boyfriend or partner, maybe.

He ruffled his hair. "That's the problem! They aren't acting like the people who fall under the Imperio act, as well as I can tell from what the Director says. I... I think I need to see this staff he used. Did he have it with him when he was captured?"

Cap answered that one. "He did! I was actually thinking something, though. Do you remember the weapons Hydra was using, Harry?" The wizard made an affirmative noise. "Well, his staff thing was shooting off bolts like one of those when we were fighting in Germany."

"It was?" Harry asked thoughtfully. That was... interesting... "Alright, where is it?"

Fury reasserted himself. "As someone who is not either an SHIELD agent, or a member of the Avenger's Initiative, you do not have the clearance for that information, Potter." He said, his tone slightly smug.

Harry just smirked at him. "Fine. I just wanted to get your agent back under your control. But it doesn't really matter to me. Needs of the one, and all that."

The dark skinned man scowled, knowing he had been outmaneuvered. "Fine." He practically growled. "You'll find it in the same lab you were keeping Doctor Banner company in before." Without waiting for an answer, he swooped dramatically away, to stand at his large console. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Can I come along, Harry? There's not really anything I can do here..." Cap said sheepishly, and Harry smiled at him.

"Sure, Cap. I bet all this new tech is throwing you for a loop anyway." He said, before whistling sharply. "Fenrir, Sleipnir, come on!"

The animals joined him quickly, the wolf having finally broken down his female target, who was cradling him and petting him, but he nimbly jumped from her embrace when called. The horse just ambled over.

The last thing Harry bothered to look at in the room was Fury's expression. He realized he hadn't called his companions by name in front of the man, thus not exposing them as Loki's kids... whoops, must have just... slipped his mind.

* * *

"So what are the other two?" Cap asked as they were walking through the halls of the veritable maze.

Harry tilted his head slightly in confusion. "What?"

"You mentioned that the mind control spell was one of three very illegal spells. What are the other two? How do they work?"

Harry grimaced slightly. "Well, all three spells affect the mind, though no one else on the world I lived on knew that. They thought the other two were both physical in nature, and it was only due to some obscure research that my friend and I found that they are all just essentially mind tricks. One is instant death of the person hit. It works by suddenly stopping all brain function, including the subconscious acts of your heart beating. Only one person in the history of that curse has been known to survive it, and there were extenuating circumstances that would probably take me a while to explain. I mean, the explanation would take so much, it would probably fill... seven books! Anyway, the other is a torture curse. What it does is take advantage of the brains utter control over everything in the body. Trick the brain, you trick the body, right? So if the brain feels like every single nerve is on fire..."

"Then you get the effect of having set every single nerve on fire without the actual physical proof! Wow, those do sound bad..." Cap's expression matched Harry's. They walked in sober silence for a bit. That lasted until they reached their destination, where they found a very odd scene playing out.

Stark was chasing a harassed looking Bruce around the lab tables, shouting, "I want you to have mah babes!"

Harry broke down in helpless laughter. "I-i wondered w-w-who would get the spiked cookie!" He gasped out, while Cap looked torn between amusement and exasperation.

Bruce, hearing this, roared to the wizard while he put the table in between him and the obviously drugged man, "You did this?! MAKE HIM STOP!"

* * *

Once the potion that Harry had put in a single cookie (he decided to play cookie roulette with the gathered Avengers, and had kind of hoped Fury grabbed the love-potion spiked one) had worn off, Stark was none too happy.

Harry ignored his self important rants, having spotted the staff and decided to run several diagnostic spells on it. That caught the rich man's attention, and his mood took a on eighty.

"Ooh, is that your wand?! You only waved your hand when you changed my chair, why do you need a wand now? How did you get it? Did you have to go out in the woods in the middle of the night and have a tree call to you or something? What's it made from?"

Harry sighed and answered each question with patience. "Yes, it's my Wand. Diagnostic spells like the ones I'm running on this staff are far more delicate than the transfiguration I did on your chair, so the Wand is doind its purpose as my focus. I... inherited it, you could say. And you watch far too many wicca movies, Mr. Stark. And it's made from Elder wood." He didn't feel like explaining the bloody history of the Deathstick, and how it had come to be in his possession. Nor that it had a core of Thestral tail-hair. The man wouldn't know what a Thestral was anyway.

He left the diagnostic spells alone, they would need time until they gave him the results, and turned back to the group.

"Sorry bout the mix up, Mr. Stark, I was actually aiming for Fury with that cookie. You just had the misfortune of grabbing it instead." He explained. Of course, the apology was not sincere at all. The scene they had walked in on had been hilarious.

Stark just smirked. "Are you sure you're not related to Loki? That seems like something the god of mischief from the legends I've heard would pull if he could."

Harry just grinned unrepentantly.

He settled in to wait, and watched the others interact. And wondered how Fury thought they could move together as a cohesive unit. Cap was... well, a military captain, used to having his orders followed in battle. Stark was like his father, all ego, but without the ability to suck it up and follow said orders like his old man had.

They would most likely spend more time fighting each other over the top position than enemies.

Harry wondered if Fury planned to use Bruce's problem like Voldemort had used werewolves in the later part of the war. Point it at the other side, and hope it doesn't choose to turn around.

Of course, the good doctor was here under the pretense of studying the gamma thingies and wavicles and partisplicers and all that, but neither Harry nor Bruce were fooled. Fury wanted him around for more than that.

Then there was Thor, whose main focus, whose _only_ focus, was his brother, and getting him back to Asgard. Harry liked the guy, but there was no question in, if it came down to saving a few citizens of Earth or Loki, he would pick Loki. And the wizard couldn't fault him for that, he could understand the loyalty behind it. But he doubted that the rest of the people here would be that happy about it.

So he watched the 'Avenger's' squabble like children, and sincerely worried about the fate of this world.

_"You two leggers are strange." _A calm voice said in his head, and he jumped. He looked over to Fenrir, but the wolf was asleep. Slowly he turned his head to meet the placid eyes of Sleipnir.

* * *

And that's Sixteen! On Wednesday, as promised! And I didn't post it at midnight either, so, yay me! Yes, there are no such things as partisplicers, but remember, Harry is not good with sciency stuff. Although I think wavicles exist. A little angsty there in the middle, but it had to be done. And no, Tony is not trying to seriously get in Brucey's pants, you slash-bashers. Like it said, Harry just drugged his cookie. Friday, then, my darling readers!

Lionna


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

Harry and Sleipnir just stared at each other for a few minutes, green eyes filled with shock and dark grey eyes calm. Finally, the wizard said hesitantly, "Did you just talk?"

_"I did."_ The words were without inflection while horse tossed his head lightly.

"Well... okay then." Was the only thing the man could think to say. Because, really, what does one say to that? "... You're a lot more intelligent than even _I_ gave you credit for, and I am sorry for that."

_"You are human. Mistakes are expected. No matter how powerful you are."_

Harry ignored the other humans around him, who were talking about hacking something and learning secrets, to focus on this new development. "I thought Fenrir would progress the bond to the talking stage first. Actually, I kind of figured you wouldn't trust me enough to form a bond at all." He said conversationally.

_"The pup is young. Very young. And the bond he is cultivating is accidental on his part. I am older and have created mine on purpose, thus it progressed faster."_

Harry hummed thoughtfully. "That's a lot of big words. You know, you kind of remind me of this guy I met on one planet, laziest bastard you'd ever meet, didn't like any kind of work. But also had one of the most brilliant minds that I have ever encountered. Hid his intelligence so that no one would make him work. I guess you're kind of like that?"

Sleipnir nickered and shifted. _"You are correct in a the two legger that had forced a bond with me, or even if my father, had realized that there was more to me than a placid mount, I would most likely have been forced to join one of my brothers in their exile. While playing pony to the one who smelled of power and anger was undesirable, it was preferable."_

The wizard stretched and stood. "That's interesting. So you figure you don't have to worry about that anymore?"

_"With you, your power is... more potent and variable in scent than my father's. He can not take me from you now, no matter how hard he tries. Though I dislike this metal bird you have brought me to, I do think that you would not just sit back and allow my brother and I to be sent back to our former situations." _The world-traveler was pinned with one shrewd eye. _"I am trusting you with not only myself, but with my kin. Do not prove me wrong, Master of Death."_

Harry blinked. "Wasn't planning on it. How'd you know about my title?"

The black mane was tossed again, accompanied by a snort that sounded derisive to the human's ears. _"It is more than just a title. Your powers smell... of Death. And Nature. Forces that my father nor the man he called his father would win against should they attempt to regain my brother and I by force."_

"Well, that's nice to know." Harry said. He finally realized that at some point the argument brewing between the 'team' had been derailed because the members were staring at him. He stared back with blank green eyes. "Yes?"

"You were talking to your horse." Tony said helpfully.

Harry bit back a smirk. "That I was." He lost and allowed the smirk to bloom over his face when the other man made a frustrated sound.

"Let me put it this way. Why were you talking to your horse?"

The wizard shrugged. "He said something, and it's rude to ignore it. Some of us still abide by social necessities." He slipped his pack back around his shoulder, "Well, I promised Fenrir he would get a familial visit, so I'm off to go irritate Loki some more." He picked up the wolf, who just blinked blearily and cuddled into him, and led Sleipnir out. The diagnostic spells would send him the results, whether he was in the same room or not.

He grinned when he heard Stark say, just before the door closed behind him, "Are we sure that this guy isn't just crazy?"

Harry just put his hand on Sleipnir, tossed off a quick warning, and they landed neatly outside Loki's glass chamber.

The god saw them at once, and sneered.

"So you brought them here. To what? Soften my heart?"

Harry placed a suddenly very awake Fenrir on the ground. "Actually, I brought them here to see that maybe you're worth saving. You see, Sleipnir here is totally prepared to write you off. I don't blame him. But Fenrir is younger, less jaded somehow, even though those woods he was in since the day he was born had to be harsh. I think he believes I can save you." The wolf stopped just before he touched the glass, looking up at his father with piteous and adoring eyes.

Loki frowned down at the cub. "I sense the bonds they are both creating with you. So they allow you to speak with the... animals."

Harry leaned against his currently larger companion. "Only Sleipnir, for now. I get general feelings from Fenrir, though."

_"Why did you bring us here? You are giving the pup false hope." _Sleipnir's voice drawled in his head.

Without thinking, Harry answered, "Maybe, maybe not. If I can clear whatever is messing him up from his head, maybe I can get him to see sense. But for now, I think that wand thing is... amplifying and twisting his emotions..." He said slowly, as one of the spells came back with the results. He guffawed suddenly. "Truth? Really? It's a freaking compulsion spell of some sort! Why didn't I think of that earlier?"

"What _are_ you going on about?" Loki demanded, sounding affronted at being ignored.

"Sleipnir asked me something." Harry answered absently.

"The horse is smart enough to form words?" This was said in a scoffing tone, and Harry frowned at him.

The wizard was getting really of tired of this guy's attitude towards his own kids. "Yes, he can. Actually, I think he's smarter than you. Probably smarter than me."

_"Probably?"_

"Preposterous. The horse has always shown the smallest level of intelligence of any of the _things_ that sprung from me."

Harry snarled. "That's it, no more Mr. Nice Wizard. The next time you insult of your own kids, be they my companion or one that isn't with me, I'm turning you into a slug!"

Loki smiled, though it was more a bearing of teeth. "I would like to see you try."

"Don't test me, Loki Odinsson. I have dealt with people a lot more crazy and a lot more powerful than you." Harry warned.

"All I have to do is insult one of them for you to attempt to change my species? Fine. How about all of them. They were all a disappointment, none of them were fit heirs for-gurk!"

In the middle of the cylinder, where there formerly stood an arrogant and insane man, there was now, "Huh, slugzilla. How fitting. Alright, boys, we've got better things to do than sit around here." Harry said, while Fenrir whined and shifted in his spot. Sleipnir's laugh rang in his head, the tone was distinctly satisfied.

The slug gurgled in a disgusting fashion. "Oh, don't worry, Loki. It's only a temporary transformation. It should last until, well..." He tilted his head slightly as the listening charms he set in the console room whispered information in his ear, "Agent Romanoff is heading this way to talk to you, and you won't be much use as a slug so... you'll turn back as soon as she shows up." He waved his hand and a giant salt shaker appeared above the slimy creature. It slowly began to pour the grains onto slugzilla. "Hope she walks fast, Silvertongue."

With that, Harry scooped the distressed pup up, and led the amused horse from the room.

Deciding he had nothing better to do than bother Bruce and Stark, Harry decided that he would head back to the lab. "Apparation again, Sleipnir."

A gusty sound filled his mind, and he figured the horse god had sighed. _"Must we?"_

He shrugged. "I would get lost any other way. Sorry. I know it's unpleasant."

_"To say the least, but I will forgive you of this method of traveling for the entertainment you have just supplied me with."_

"Glad you enjoyed it." Harry muttered, cradling the wolf pup, who was howling in a distraught manner, closer. He placed his hand on Sleipnir's coat, and they were gone.

Just as Romanoff entered the hall.

She would never know just how relieved Loki was that she was quick to get there. Death by salt is a rather humiliating way to go.

The _world-walker_ would pay dearly for that slight.

* * *

Stark jumped when they reappeared in the large lab. Bruce didn't even twitch.

"Geez! Can't you send a warning ahead or something?" Stark grumbled, Harry smiled at him.

"The sudden appearance of a warning would shock you just as much as my own arrival, Stark."

The man just scowled, and turned back to the screen he was working one. "I thought you were Fur-"

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?"

The man turned, and blinked. "Huh, speak of the devil. I've kind of been wondering the same thing about you." He pointedly looked at the screen he and Bruce had been working on before. Harry wondered what was going on now.

It did not escape anyone how Fury dodged the question. "You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

Bruce jumped in. "We are, the model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss. What is Phase Two?" Stark asked, all innocent curiosity. Obviously no one was expecting Cap to pick that moment to enter the room and unceremoniously toss a gun onto an unoccupied table.

"Phase Two is SHIELD used the cube to make weapons. Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me. Hey, Glen, this look familiar to you?"

Harry frowned at the gun. It had been quite a few jumps since the last time he'd seen one, but he'd recognize it anywhere. "Isn't that a HYDRA gun?" He asked, unconsciously turning his body so that Fenrir was no where near it, and stepping in front of Sleipnir.

Fury made a rather valiant attempt to cover his ass under so many accusing eyes, in the wizard's opinion. "Rogers, Potter, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean-"

Stark was fiddling with the screen again. "I'm sorry, Nick." The screen was turned to show the display to all of them. It was obviously the plans for a gun of similar structure to the HYDRA weapon. "What were you lying?"

Cap crossed his arms, and a betrayed look entered his eyes. "I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit."

Thor and Romanoff chose that moment to enter, and Harry was feeling rather claustrophobic in the usually large and airy room. He subtly pushed his way over to Bruce, pulling something out of his bag and handing it to the man. "Drink this." He ordered quietly.

"What is it?" The other man asked, just as quietly, as he turned the small vial over in his palms.

"Just trust me, please." Harry said, and either the honest request, or something in his expression that convinced the good doctor, because he popped out the cork and drank it all swiftly. A then distinctly suprised look crossed his face.

"What is this? What did you do?" He breathed. Harry figured that he would probably sound more demanding if it wasn't for the potion.

"It's called Calming Draught. I was feeling pressed, no doubt you were too."

"I- er... thank you." Harry just nodded.

It was then that they realized Romanoff was talking to Bruce. "You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?"

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." Bruce pointed out.

Romanoff frowned. "Loki is manipulating you."

Harry crossed his arms. "And you guys have been doing what, exactly? Don't think that he's stupid enough to believe any of your bull." He said, knowing his new friend would probably say something similar... If he wasn't at peace with the world at the moment.

Romanoff rounded on him. "He didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at him."

"No, he came because he was told he could help save the world, and your twisted little group convinced him that was what he needed to do to absolve himself of the things he was not responsible for." Harry shot back. "And I think we would all like to know why SHIELD, reputed protector of this world, is building weapons of mass destruction."

Fury huffed, and pointed to Thor. "Because of him!"

* * *

Happy Friday, everyone! Not much humor in this one, but had to have some seriousness. Cookie brownie bars to the first person who figures out what other fandom was mentioned in this chapter! Love you all, see you Monday!

Lionna


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

Thor looked astonished and insulted, pointing to himself, "Me?" He asked incredulously.

Fury nodded, and explained, and a good portion of his little spiel sounded like the story Heimdall had told Harry... was it only three weeks ago now? It felt like it had been forever. "-we are hopelessly, hilariously, out-gunned."

The god crossed his arms, looking impressively intimidating as he rumbled, "My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

_"His people have repressed myself and many others over the many years. It would not shock me if there were more like my father who would wish to come and rule the relatively weaker humans." _Sleipnir's dry voice said, and Harry frowned.

"Yeah, that's pretty probable." Harry said, softly enough that the others would not think it a part of their conversation, but confident that the horse would hear him, even across the room and the people who were growing tenser. Save for Bruce, who just smiled at him as if all were right in the world.

"-world's filling up with people that can't be matched, can't be controlled." Fury said, defensively, and that caused the wizard to scowl. That was obviously another shot at Bruce, and the wizard was getting tired of it.

Thor's voice cut through his angry thoughts. "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war." The god seemed angry that Fury had endangered the planet so recklessly. No doubt he was thinking of that woman, and how this would affect her.

Cap cut in, his voice worried. "A higher form?" He moved towards where Harry and Bruce stood, probably to get closer to the only ally on this damnable ship that he felt he could trust, and the wizard didn't blame him.

At this point, it devolved into bickering that cemented in the wizard's mind that this was not a team. Not even slightly close. No, this was a hodge podge of individuals who were thrown unwillingly together, their personalities too different to mesh at all.

He opened his mouth to say something, or do something, when one of the spells he had placed on the staff began to blare in his ear. He glanced over at it, and his eyes narrowed as he observed it glowing slightly. "Guys." He said, but it was not heard over the raising volume.

With a sneer, he hissed a silencing spell, and every mouth kept moving, but no throat made sound. Bruce looked amused from his place beside him, and just opened and closed his mouth as if testing the charm. "You are all pathetic. Petty. Like children who don't get along on the playground. Yes, even you, Director. Powerful, no doubt, but... you think that power puts you above others. Even those who are just as powerful in different ways. It makes me sick." It was then that he noticed Fury had drawn his gun, and was not looking at his face, but more his hand. He glanced down, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed that the staff seemed to be gravitating towards him.

He batted it away, and put it back in its place. "So you're drawn to strong emotions, huh, like anger." He dropped the spell that held the tongues of the 'team' at the same time an alarm beeped.

Stark, seeing that Bruce seemed more interested in continuing his little experiment with talking even though his voice was back (was he reciting the table of elements? Scientists are weird), moved towards the beeping console. "The cube has been located." He drawled to other members. "I can get there faster than any jet.

"Look, all of us-"

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it."

_"It makes one wonder why you bipeds are the higher species. There is no group of horses, wolves, or any creature for that matter, that would argue like this when something so important as their lives were on the line." _Sleipnir commented. Harry snorted.

He grabbed Cap's arm when he made a move towards Stark, and frowned. "What happened Cap, this isn't like you?"

The man shrugged, and Harry put a sticking charm on the bottom of Stark's shoes. That got the dark haired man to stop in his progression to the door. He did likewise on Thor, too, when it looked like he would take advantage of that and go for the cube himself.

"Are you quite done?" He asked conversationally, and the three combatants looked at him. At least Thor and Cap had the decency to look ashamed of themselves.

"Hey, Harry, look! Something is coming!" Bruce said, sounding very amused. Maybe Harry should have used a lighter dose of Calming Draught...

Before that thought could be finished, they were all thrown off their feet (including those previously stuck in their positions, the impact of something explosive against the ship breaking the intentionally weak charm).

He heard Cap's voice, "Put on the suit."

"Uh... yeah!" That was Stark, then there was the sound of running, though the wizard couldn't see them through the smoke.

He turns to Bruce, who is still under the effects of the Calming Draught. "You okay?" He asked, and the man nodded. He pulled him to his feet, and looked around. "Shit, the kids!" He closed his eyes, and felt for the connections between him and Sleipnir. _"Are you alright?"_

_"We are both fine, Harry. I have the pup with me. I have brought him to the large room with many two leggers and machines. It is the most unaffected. We will wait here."_ The answer came quickly, and Harry slumped as relief filled him.

He finally observed his new surroundings.

They were obviously no longer in the lab, if there still was a lab. "We're okay." That was Romanoff, who seemed to be laying under some debris, yet taking time to report on her ear piece. She looked worriedly over at them, "We're okay, right?"

Harry nodded shortly. "Right as rain, right Bruce?" Bruce lifted his eye brow.

"Yeah, shockingly enough. I think your... elixir or whatever is wearing off, though." He commented.

"I figured that it might after that. A big shock after consumption moves it through the metabolic system faster than it would normally. That's okay, though, I have plenty more if you would be willing to take them. We don't want to lose you right now, if there's any more big explosions. We might need your brain." Harry offered. He hoped he hadn't offended the man.

Bruce just held out his hand. "Whatever it is, it works. I may ask you for the recipe later." The wizard placed another vial in his hand, and watched as it was downed in one go.

Romanoff watched the whole exchange with wide eyes. "He's... okay."

"Yeah, but we need to get that thing off of you. And then we probably need to go see Loki. This is obviously a play to get him out. So who's to say we can't do both at the same time? Agent," He moved over to stand next to her, crouching down and offering a hand, "Do you trust me enough to take my hand?" She eyed it with suspicion, before grabbing it. "Great, Bruce, my other hand please." The man took the hand. "Alright, there's going to be a bit of a squeezing sensation. Please don't panic, Agent Romanoff." With that warning, they were gone, leaving the workers who had moved forward to help the beautiful trapped woman blinking in confusion.

They reappeared right outside Loki's cell, where the god stood in the middle with an expectant expression. He scowled when he saw them.

"_World-traveler._ You will die today." He hissed, with eyes only for the man who stood in the middle.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Lord Slugzilla, you wish." He snarked back.

Romanoff raised her hand to her ear, and grinned. "This is Agent Romanoff, I copy. We're in the detention lab already. We'll be waiting for him."

Harry glanced over at her, and Loki took in the others who were here with the man. "So you brought the monster and the killer with you. You make friends with even the lowest of scum." He spit.

Harry shot an innocent look at him. "Not quite. I'm not friends with you, am I? Though I'm sure once we get the brain leech off of you, and make you a little more conducive to talking in a normal way, and not sounding like someone shoved your precious staff up your arse, then I'm sure that you might be better than trash. Hopefully."

The god snarled, and the panel that was the door opened. Romanoff whipped around, and she apparently recognized the man who was standing at the panel, because she lunged for him, and they began fighting. Harry absently noted that the only people who could move together seamlessly into a fight like that had to spar together for endless hours, becoming almost intimately aware of the other's style. Huh, this must he the famous Clint she talked about.

He only absently noted that, because he was busy trying to keep Bruce out of firing range. His sense of danger blared, even as Loki made another try to attack him. He pulled Bruce down to the ground as the staff speared through the air where they had been standing, to slam solidly into the mischief god's palm.

His resulting smile looked more like an animalistic baring of teeth. He began attacking with more vigor, and the wizard suddenly Apparated to the control room with Bruce in tow. "Could you stay here, Bruce? I need both hands to strangle this guy." Harry said, sitting the other man down in one of the chairs. Bruce just hummed in contentment, laid his head down on the table, and began snoring. Harry shook his head in amusement, and Apparated back to his fight.

Only to find Thor locked in the containment cell, Loki at the controls mockingly stating how he had run off the world-traveler, and Romanoff and her opponent no where to be seen.

Before he could make himself known, and before Loki could press the button that would send his brother to the screaming sky, the agent who was the main part of his and Thor's welcoming committee (and really, he should make an effort to remember the guy's name, with the way he kept popping up) moved out of the shadows with a large blaster in his hands.

"Move away, please." He said, and Harry snorted at how it was very polite. Loki glanced back at him, hearing the sound, and grimaced, stepping back from the panel. The agent was still talking. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?"

Harry can tell what the god plans to do in the split second before he does it, and that's all he needs to Apparate himself between Loki and the Agent. The spear cuts through him like a hot knife through butter, and he almost doesn't feel it when it goes in, but then the agony sets in. Loki looks shocked at first, and then an insane light of victory enters his eyes... until he's thrown back by the sudden blast of the gun.

Harry feels himself sliding to the ground... he thinks. He also thinks he can hear a cry of sorrow in a voice that sounds like Thor's... and maybe was that Sleipnir calling his name... The world tunneled into darkness centered around the strained face of the Agent, and he wanted to reassure the man that he would live on in another jump, and how he would take the hit for the unknown man again if he needed...

But words were seemingly to hard to form. And he was so tired...

* * *

I know, another cliffy, but... I needed to save Coulson, 'cause I lurve him. More angst than humor in this one too, but I swear we'll get the humor back! Points to everyone who guessed Shikamaru from Naruto! I may make that a chapter in Nature Laughs... as soon as I can fit my head through the story of him becoming an Emperor (the one he was telling Bruce a few chapters back). It's giving me trouble. Love you all and see you Wednesday.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

Harry didn't even have time to open his eyes before he was getting an earful.

"Are you an idiot?! Why in the world did you sacrifice yourself?! I gave you that warning so it wouldn't have to come to that! Why didn't you just summon him?! Idiot!"

The wizard pried his eyes open with a groan, and immediately closed them again. "Please stop yelling. I've got a headache, and you're not helping." Nor was the blazing white room they were in.

Death crossed her arms, once again having forgone the cloak she wore upon their first meeting, though her scythe stood obediently beside her. "It's your own fault, Master Idiot. And you didn't answer my question. Why did you not summon the Agent?"

Harry sat up carefully. His head felt like a very industrious demolitions expert had decided that his brain was set for blowing up. He squinted at her, and with a thought the snow white walls and furniture all turned a soothing shade of deep blue. "Had I summoned him, I might not have been able to activate the spell before Loki stabbed him. Thus, he would have suddenly been jerked to the side, making the wound, already most likely fatal for normal humans, even more dangerous."

Death rubbed her face roughly. "You and your hero complex." She groaned. "Fine, fine. You're lucky, you idiot, that upon activating all three Hollows and becoming Master of Death, you also activated an advanced healing ability." She scowled at him. "So you're not dead, but you could have been, leaving my bro- those poor animals alone."

Harry tilted his head. Her bro... her brothel? Bronchitis? ... Brothers? His green eyes widened. "Hel?" He asked, and he knew that hi vague hunch had been confirmed when the girl scowled.

Death cursed, plopped down beside him, and pouted as any teenager can. "You weren't supposed to figure that out yet." She huffed. "Me and my big mouth."

He grinned. "Well, I was already considering it before, but your slip of the tongue just sealed the deal. So, Hel... you look a lot different than the legends say you would."

"What, half black and half flesh colored. Pah. They just wanted people to be afraid of coming to me, making me sound like a freak. After all, who would be scared of a little blonde, curly headed girl?" She tossed said curls. "The Death before me took me on a an apprentice when she found me in my realm. She was the closet thing to a mother I had growing up." She sighed mournfully.

Harry frowned. "I thought you said she retired... You make it sound like she died."

Hel put her elbow on her knee, and rested her chin in her hand. "That's how Death retires. When a new Death is trained to the point that they are acceptably able to take on the role, the former Death joins the river of souls that churn in and out of the death realm. After a few thousand years, the job gets so tiring that they are glad to do so, to be sent to the reincarnation chamber."

"So the woman who trained you is a human now? Somewhere? Or maybe she's become a being of another planet."

Hel's grin was decidedly mischievous. Harry was struck by how many of her features came from her father. "Oh, no, she is human, one on the world your body is on. You know her as," A pause, obviously meant to be dramatic, but Harry let her have her moment, "Natasha Romanoff."

He blinked. Then blinked again. "You're kidding." He deadpanned. She shook her head. Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, alright then. That's a bit unexpected."

"Not really. Hades wanted to meet you so badly that she probably made sure that her soul went to a world you would visit soon."

"Er... I thought Hades was a guy."

Hel shrugged. "Myths get twisted a lot over the years that the mortals toss them around. Hades found it really funny that the humans thought she was male. I'm thankful they've at least kept my gender straight."

Harry laughed and bumped her shoulder with his. "I'll make sure that they all know they're wrong, and that you're really a big hairy man, with warts and-"

"You wouldn't!" Hel shouted, sounding scandalized. Harry just grinned with no comment.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before the dark haired man spoke again. "So, you said my body is back there on Earth, or Midgard, or whatever. So why am I here, and why did I have such a huge headache when I got here."

Hel flinched a bit. "Well... I didn't really explain your new healing very well. You got stabbed in your heart by that scepter, which I still think you're an idiot for jumping in front of, and it cut quite a few blood vessels that go to your brain. So your brain was starved for oxygen until the blood vessels healed themselves, which took... eighteen minutes?"

"So I was legally dead for eighteen minutes? And I had a headache because I wasn't actually supposed to be able to think at that point, my brain being dead and all."

The girl nodded.

"Well that's just great. You didn't answer my first question."

She sat back and looked up at the deep blue ceiling, which had somehow become dotted with small lights that looked like stars. "Well, this place? It's a defense mechanism, mainly. The first time you saw it, it looked like that train station."

Harry looked around. "You're saying that this is the place I met with Dumbledore? And what is it defending against?"

"Brain damage. You've actually been here a few times, but you're normally unconscious when it happens. The only reason you're conscious now is because you're the Master of Death, and becoming so rewired your brain a bit." She told him.

"So... this is inside my mind? The why are you here?"

"Aren't you just chock full of questions? I'm here because you are my Master, and I go where ever you need me. Which just happens to be here. When you activated all three Hollows, it sent such a jolt through your brain, trying to change it to accommodate what you would need, that you passed out and came here. I was here because you needed me to explain what happened. And I'm here now because you needed someone to yell at you for being a self sacrificing idiot." She smirked at him, and he swatted at her.

Harry fought the urge to stick out his tongue at her. He was eight hundred years old, for crying out loud, and finally said. "One last question, then. What's going on back in reality?"

* * *

Coulson was torn between looking through the hole that Loki had been shot through, and the man who had most likely saved his life.

It's the lack of movement in Potter's chest that decides him. He kneels by the man, desperately pumping on his abdomen. "Come on, Potter. Do clock out on us. You still got work to do, right?" He called, but there was no reaction. He pried one of the green eyes open, and winced when they were blank.

"What happened here?" The director swooped in behind him, looking at the slumped figure of the wizard.

Coulson frowned sadly, and stopped all movements of trying to get the dark haired man's heart restarted. "Loki was aiming to shish kebob me. Potter jumped between us and took the hit instead." He sighed. "He looks like he's just a kid, boss. I know he said he's eight hundred years old... but he looks like a kid."

Director Fury pulled Coulson away from the body as the medical team pushed past them. "Mr. Potter is down." He said over the radio.

A distracted sounding Agent answered, no doubt uncaring because Potter himself wasn't a part of SHIELD, "A medical team is on its way to your location."

"They're here, they called it." He said heavily, knowing how this would affect the team.

* * *

Bruce sat up, his eyes wide. Sleipnir, who was standing beside him, let loose a screaming whinny even as Fenrir howled in a desolate manner.

* * *

Captain America's face crumpled, and his knees hit the ground as the last connection to his own time was severed, and Tony Stark hesitantly put his hand on the larger man's shoulder.

* * *

And in a cold room, on a cold slab, the wizard's body slowly recuperated itself. And the heart monitor gave a single, but shocking, bleep.

* * *

"I didn't know him for long, but he seemed like a pretty cool guy." Tony said slowly, and Rogers blinked at him as if he had just noticed his presence.

"He was... the most loyal man I have ever met, and a soldier I was proud to stand by." The blond said after a while.

Thor took that moment to appear, and neither man had ever seen him that furious looking. "My brother has gone too far." The god hissed.

Rogers got a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I know we haven't gotten along lately... but can we set our differences aside long enough to... Avenge Harry?" The sadness was pushed aside by anger, and he welcome the hot rush. Loki would pay.

Tony shrugged. He didn't really have any connection to the man whom he had only known for a few hours, but that didn't mean that he would let the guy's death go unpunished.

Thor nodded resolutely.

"Where would Loki go next?" Rogers asked, directing the question to Thor, who only made a noncommental noise. He had no idea.

"He's made this personal..."

Rogers made a low, growling noise in his throat. "He's made it more than personal." He said.

"No, that's not what I meant. He hit us all, right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart." Rogers offered, and it went unsaid by the man, though the others could hear it as if he voiced it, 'Like I'm going to tear him apart'.

Tony ignored the unsaid threat to the god. He had no doubt the guy deserved it at this point. "Yeah, to divide and conquer, but he knows to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

Rogers nodded shortly. "Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart."

Tony frowned. "Yeah... That's just the previews this is... this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered- Son of a bitch!"

His sudden exclamation caused his two companions to jump slightly. They both looked at the grim faced man.

"I know where he is."

* * *

Chapter nineteen, ladies and gents, and hopefully the last bit of angst in this story. Boy is Sleipnir and Fenrir going to be pissed at Harry. On that note, I'm plotting world domination. Anyone wanna help?

Lionna


	20. Chapter 20

_****_Disclaimer: Don't own.

_"Sleipnir"_

_"Fenrir"  
_

_**"Harry"**  
_

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty**_

The first breath of air he took when his mind came back to his body was like he had breached the surface of a lake. It filled his screaming lungs and assured him he was alive. He opened his eyes to take in his surroundings, and came face to face with an unfamiliar person, who was hovering over his prone body.

"Amazing." The woman breathed. "It's just as you said, Director Fury. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. He was medically dead for almost half an hour, there should be no way he's-"

"He's still right here." Harry deadpanned. He grimaced at how breathless his voice sounded.

The woman smiled sheepishly, and continued what he assumed she had been doing before he woke up, which was placing a freezing cold stethoscope against his bare chest.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter."

Of course he was here. Harry should have known when the woman (either a doctor or a nurse) had addressed him, but he still scowled at the man's voice, and turned his head slightly to look in his direction.

"Director Fury, so glad you could be here for my resurrection. Just wait, I'm about to turn water into wine." He said nonchalantly.

The dark skinned man smirked. "Right after you walk on water, I'm sure. There's someone that will probably want to see you, shall I let them in?"

The wizard shrugged as well as he could with the doctor fluttering around him checking his blood pressure and inconsequential things, marveling under her breath at the way his abdomen wound had healed and his miracle of actually being alive. He ignored her tactfully. "Sure, might as well get the yelling over with." He sighed, ignoring the woman's comments. Instead he told her, "Doctor, I might need some medicine that deals with headaches soon."

She frowned, "Why? Do you have one now? You could have told me sooner. Is it possibly a side effect of your-"

"No, ma'am, I don't have one now, but I will have one in a few minutes." He cut her off in mid scold/query.

She directed a confused look his way, but backed off when he motioned her away, seeing as there was no visible injury for her to treat on this patient. All tests on him had run clean. It was a medical miracle, and she made sure to send some of his blood to the labs, to see if something could come of it.

"Director, if you would. They'll only get worse with the wait." Harry said, and with another infuriating smirk the man opened the door (seemingly lined with lead, as that was the only substance Harry was aware of found naturally on this Earth that blocked the waves of a mental link. He had not spent the whole time on this ship idle.) and admitting the large grey stallion that had a small wolf pup on its back. The doctor made a noise of discontent, probably because it was not sterile to allow animals in the medical room, but Harry found himself to busy to care.

While Sleipnir was calm to those observing, he was mentally tearing down the wizard. _"You __**idiot**__. You were dead! You were dead, and the link was cut! How would you protect us if you had died and moved on? How do you know this would not be the time that your immortality ended and you were sent to the death realm? You are an imbecile, and I was as foolish as a colt to trust you would help us I-"_

_**"Sleipnir. I am sorry I worried you."**_ Harry calmly told him, and that seemed to take the wind out of his sails, as tension that was almost unnoticeable in his broad shoulders eased imperceptibly, and he moved forward to nudge at the prone man.

_"You died, and I could do nothing."_ This was said in a softer tone, and the horse, for the first time, sounded as young as he was. Fenrir jumped off his brother's back onto his packmate, and snuffled almost desperately at him.

And for the first time, a small, childish voice joined the cool tones in Harry's head. _"Packmate okay?"_

Harry's eyes softened as he realized fully what he had put these poor creatures through, and he put his hands on each of them, stroking their furs and murmuring out loud, "I'm okay."

He sat up carefully, shifting Fenrir from his chest to his lap, and looked Fury in the eye. "Where's everyone else?" He asked, knowing that Cap, at least, would be outside the door to make sure his soldier was okay.

The small flash of guilt in the single visible eye was all the wizard needed before he was off the bed and in the man's face. "What did you do?" He growled. He had no idea that his eyes were glowing an unnatural shade of green with his power, or that his magic, normally so well contained, was flying about the room, his anger tinging it with a clear malice. He did not notice the nameless woman doctor backing herself in the corner, gasping for air as the rage stole her breath.

He just knew that this man had done something to the team, to his friends, and he knew it wasn't good.

"They needed the push." Fury ground out, well aware that it was only an act of sheer will that he wasn't as breathless as the Doctor. "I told them what they needed to hear to give them the proper motivation. They weren't going to work together without something driving them."

Harry crowded closer to him, his face thunderous as he was well aware the other man was trying to avoid the question. "What. Did you. Do?"

"I told them... you were dead."

He was thrown off when Harry's countenance seemed to calm, but he knew that it was just a farce. The gentle, animal-loving, seemingly easily manipulable Potter was gone, and in his place- no, hidden beneath that veneer, was a man who was powerful enough to end his existence with a thought, and had no qualms against using that power when angered.

Perhaps that was why he got on so well with Banner.

"Where are they?"

And he told the man exactly where they were. He told himself it was because he thought they needed the back up, but he knew deep down that he was feeling the fear of a prey animal to a predator, and he had no further wish to make Potter any angrier with him.

* * *

Harry appeared with a soundless whoosh of air after attaining the precise coordinates of the tower from that bastard. He'd left a pair of displeased animal gods, in fear that if he brought them they would be hurt.

He looked around, noting that he was in penthouse, and that he was not as alone as he had thought, though.

Before him stood two rather shocked men that he was very familiar with.

"Er- hi. Am I interrupting something?"

Stark was the first to react, though it seemed all his considerable brain mass was capable of was pointing at him and stammering, "B-but you were dead!"

Harry shrugged. "I got better."

Loki apparently snapping out of it, frowned in a displeased fashion at him. "Is that going to happen every time I kill you?" He asked archly.

The wizard lifted an eyebrow. "I think I'll make an effort not to let you kill me again, thanks." Turning to Stark, he motioned towards the crazed god. "Aren't we supposed to be blasting him, or something? Because if we're just going to stand here..."

That seemed to bring the two others back to the realities of the situation.

"What was I saying? Right, you against... your brother the demi-god; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins; and this guy," At this he motioned to an amused Harry, "Who, for all intents and purposes just came back from the dead. And you, big fella, you've just pissed off every single one of them."

Loki sneered, though he didn't seem as sure as he was only moments ago, and his eyes darted over to Harry every few moments. "That was the plan."

Harry hated this part of the big final battle against some bad guy or another. Banter always took forever. But who was he to deny Stark his fun?

"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you." Stark pointed out, and it appeared where Loki was less sure at Harry's appearance, Stark was more confident. Probably because he had some pretty good back up.

"I have an army." Loki said.

Stark grinned. "We have a Hulk, and at this point he's pretty unhappy with you. By the way, Harry, thanks for giving the big guy enough of your magic elixer to last him for the trip to get here. I don't think the others would have a very good time if he Hulked out in the small jet they're using to get here."

Harry smiled, and it was vicious. "No problem, Tony. Can't wait to see my new friend again. I hope he greets our new friend here very... vigorously." Hey, he might have come back, but dying _hurt_.

"The beast is a mindless tool!" The god proclaimed, though he was visibly sweating now.

"He's not." Stark and Harry defended in unison, before the inventor continued alone. "But you're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. 'Cause if we can't protect the earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."

"Ooh, nice play on the team's name." Harry complimented, and Tony tuned to grin at him, and in his distraction Loki lunged forward and shouted, "How will they fight me when they're so busy fighting you?" He pressed the tip of his staff against the glowing blue of whatever it was the scientist had embedded in his body. He seemed confused when the other man had no other reaction than to tilt his head. "This... usually works." The god said with a slight hint of sheepishness.

"Well, performance issues, you know?" Tony said, and Harry snorted.

His amusement was cut off when the god lifted the man off his feet by his throat, and throws him across the room.

With a snarl the wizard (who was relieved they were _finally_ getting to the good part that lead to the end) threw up his hand to cast a bombarda at the god, who barely had enough time to throw up a shimmering blue shield with his staff. The shield was dropped afterwards and a bolt of blue light was sent in Harry's direction, and he dodged it with the grace of someone who was used to fighting. He sneered at the other man, but noticed he was no longer where he had last seen him.

"You will all fall before me!" The god shouted from off to the side, before throwing Tony out the fucking window.

Harry saw red.

* * *

And Loki hit the ground with a scream as he felt as if all of his nerves were on fire. He writhed in pain for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a minute, before the searing pain stopped, and he staggered to his feet.

What was this man, this _world-traveler_? This being who could conjure objects, transform he, a god, into a large bug, and now take him down and make him feel pain like he had never felt before without making a movement.

Oh, movement. Apparently while he was distracted, the other man had been moving closer and tackled him, throwing punches and almost knocking off his crown. And each physical hit was amplified by short bursts of the same pain from before.

"You killed him you killed him you killed him-" Was all the other man said as the god made attempts to throw him off, but nothing came of it until a shout was heard out the broken window.

The angered being looked up, and his pale and twisted face melted into relief.

"Harry, get off of him." It was the voice of the Man of Iron! Will the people he kills today not stay dead?!

* * *

Harry happily obliged, and watched the god climb shakily to his feet again. Just to be knocked off them once more by some sort of energy blast that Tony shot.

Then he threw himself to the ground as a wave of malevolent energy burst overhead. He hadn't noticed the hum of it in the background before, but it was impossible to ignore now.

"Tony!" He shouted. "What the bloody hell was that?!"

"I kind of forgot that we have an army heading our way." The man answered.

Harry cursed, sent a malevolent glare at the downed god (who seemed to have no desire to get back up any time soon) and pulled his broom from his recovered bag. He mounted it and joined Tony in hovering out the window. He may not care about the people he was fighting for (Fury came to mind) but he sure as hell cared for the people who were fighting.

* * *

I'm so sorry I missed Friday's update. As an apology I'll be updating Crestfallen twice today. This chapter, and another one in maybe twelve hours. You see, I had to do this BBQ competition this weekend, which totally saps me of any and all energy. Right, anyway, so Fenrir's link has strengthened to the point he can get a few short, simple sentences across. And Harry used the Cruciatus. But remember, he's eight hundred, and he's gotten a bit more ruthless in years since hoggy warty Hogwarts. Plus, for a moment he thought Loki had killed Tony. Anywho, off to maybe hopefully possibly get some sleep before I post the next one.

Lionna

PS: Plans to rule the world have fallen through as my weapons connection died of chocolate OD. We buried her with a Glock and a Hershey's. But fear not, I'll find someone else! Eventually!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Don't own.

_**"Voices over comm units"**_

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty One**_

Harry scowled at the... things pouring from the hole in the sky (and he repeats, a _hole_ in the bloody _sky_... just so we're on the same page). He and Tony looked at each other, and aim their transportation upwards to meet the army head on.

Harry doesn't notice the tall blond man look at him in disbelief and relief. He knew that the World-Traveler could not die, not in the classical sense, but is glad to know he did not move on.

He lands heavily on the platform to meet his brother, feeling as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

Harry shouts over the wind, "Tony! You've got communications in that metal contraption, right?!"

"Yeah!" Tony's voice was amplified by the speakers.

"Well then tell the others that I'm alive and here! We can't afford to have them seeing me and possibly pausing at a fatal moment because they thought I was dead!"

Tony would have hit himself in the face if he could, and was glad that the other man had thought of it.

"Hey boys and girls, you'll never guess who just joined back up. Harry the undying wizard. He's here with me. I repeat, Potter's alive and kicking ass. Do you copy?" He wheeled off into the comm system.

A wavering female voice (and had he ever heard the indomitable Agent Romanoff sound like that) answered, "Yeah, we copy Stark... though we're not sure how to react... But we're on a three and heading north east."

"Just get your happy asses here and get to fighting. What did you guys do? Stop at a drive through? Swing that park, Harry and I are gonna lay 'em out for you."

He nods to the wizard, and motions what they're going to do while the man sends a green beam of light at one of the Chitauri that sends the alien spiraling to the ground.

The other man grinned in exhilaration, truly in his element in fighting what seems insurmountable odds, and pulled his broom into a turn, maneuvering it in front of the path of the plane along with his comrade just long enough for the aliens who had followed them to get close enough that they were unable to get out of the way quick enough when both he and Tony dropped like stones, leaving the Chitauri in the line of fire.

* * *

Steve froze when Stark's voice told them from the console of the plane that Harry was alive. That was impossible! He said so himself that when he died on one planet, he reappeared on another.

But then the man he knew alternatively as Harry and Glen dropped right in front of the nose of the plane, and he almost shouted because it looked like they were going to hit him... but he saw the grin and the glimmer of mischief that had made the man his chief trap expert in the field over seventy years ago...

And he was alive! He was alive... which most likely meant one of two things. Either something had happened on the way to the next planet... or Fury had lied to them.

He and the Director were going to be having a serious conversation if he survived this alien invasion.

And with his old comrade at his back, he had very little doubt that Loki wouldn't win, army or no army.

* * *

Bruce had to keep taking the potions that Harry had given him, as they were wearing off quicker since... since he died.

And the effects were less noticeable, he just felt calm, but sad, where as before he felt a bit out of it and happy. It was probably his anger at Loki killing Harry, the first person who knew his secret and did not flinch away from him on contact, his first true friend after the accident, that burned through the elixer's effects.

The Hulk had a target, and he would not be denied, no matter how drugged he was.

But the elixer was why he did not visibly react when the news that Harry _was not dead_ came through.

And something in his chest loosened at seeing that smirking face and dancing green eyes for a moment just before the Chituari he led to that position were torn apart by a hail of bullets.

Harry was alive... but that still didn't let Loki off the hook.

* * *

Harry's hand eye coordination had not deteriorated since the long ago days when he was a seeker, and just got better with the hundreds of years during which it was used to its fullest. Which is the only reason he caught the strange looking thing Tony tossed to him. He raised an eyebrow at the man, and the Iron Man pantomimed putting it in his ear.

The wizard complied, feeling a bit foolish. He felt like he was putting some sort of beetle in his ear. But he was not disappointed with the results, if the curse words in a several familiar voices that spilled from the device were anything to go by.

_**"We gotta get back up there."**_

"Cap!" He shouted in surprise.

The man looked up, probably to see where he was, and paled. Harry looked up too, as it obviously wasn't him that garnered the reaction. He almost wished he hadn't.

"Merlin's moldy shorts! What is that?!" Harry cried as he saw the things that were coming out of the portal after the Chitauri. The front looked a bit like a turtle with really big sharp teeth, and the rest of the body that slithered from the hole in the sky resembled a centipede.

_**"Stark, are you seeing this?"**_ Cap's voice sounded a bit unsure. Maybe he thought the plain crash made him hit his head?

Tony's voice answered. _**"Seeing. Still working on believing. Interesting choice in expletive there, Harry."**_

Harry looked at the thing, which was as they spoke spilling out more Chitauri from its sides. "Later, guys. Has the latest dose of Calming Draught worn off yet, Bruce? We might need the help of the Other Guy."

_**"Not yet."**_ Bruce's voice answered.

_**"Alright, just keep us posted. Shall we go after the ugly behemoth, Mr. Potter?"**_

Harry grinned. "I think we shall, Mr. Stark."

_**"JARVIS, find us a soft spot."**_

Harry wanted to ask who Jarvis was, but was too busy flinging spells at the Leviathan. They were all absorbed, like it was a nightmare mix of a basilisk and that tentacle horse thing that Hel had called a Fryte.

Tony was beside him, blasting it with everything he had. That just seemed to make the thing mad, as it turned in a lumberous manner to follow them.

"Fuck fuck fuckity fuck! Well, it's following us! What now?" Harry shouted.

_**"I'm still working on step two!"**_ Tony replied, though it sounded like he was having the time of his life.

The other's voices, who Harry had been ignoring up to that point as they obviously weren't speaking on the comm, finally registered again when Thor joined them.

_**"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable."**_ How the hell did they get the Asgardian to use modern technology?

_**"Thor's right, we gotta deal with these guys."**_ Tony probably pestered him into it.

_**"How do we do this?"**_ Romanoff asked, sounding more curious than worried. It sounded like she had no doubt they would win.

Cap's voice came next, strong and steely. _**"As a team."**_

_**"I have unfinished business with Loki."**_ Thor reminded them.

_**"Yeah? Get in line."**_ an unidentified male's voice, but Harry figured it was that guy Clint that Romanoff was so pissy about earlier.

"I get first dibs! Don't forget the guy killed me!" He said, trying not to look over his should at the thing chasing him and Tony. He just sent killing curse after killing curse at the oncoming Chitauri.

Cap sighed gustily into the comm, and Harry grinned. The man always treated the banter of his troops as children's squabbles. _**"Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark and Harry up top, he's gonna need us to-"**_ He pauses, and Harry feels a spike of aggression from the ground, clearly not from any Chitauri. Looks like the Calming Draught wore off!

"You okay, Bruce?" He asked.

_**"Fine Harry. Glad you're here."**_ The voice is a bit more growly than he's used to, but the man was fighting off becoming a towering monster of rage. He could let a tiny voice change slide.

_**"Suit up, Banner. We're bringing the party to you."**_ Stark hooted, and Harry grinned over at him. They both flew in perfect synchronization around the buildings, towards the area they knew the group had congregated in.

Romanoff's voice said over the comm faintly, _**"I- I don't see how that's a party."**_

"It followed me home, can I keep it?" Harry joked.

_**"Doctor Banner, this might be a really good time for you to get angry."**_

_**"That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry."**_

Harry grins at the man, swerving out off to one side while Tony swerves to the other, leaving the Leviathan to go head on into the angry creature that Bruce had become.

It then exploded, and Harry had no idea why, but figured it probably had something to do with the Clint guy. He heard that he had a thing for arrows that went boom.

Both he and Tony touched down on the ground next to the rest of the group, and they stood with their backs to each other in a loose circle, looking for all the world like they were ready to take on the entire Chitauri army and win with no question.

They all look up as if on queue, and a dozen more of those Leviathan creatures, along with several more platoons of the Chitauri, flood through the portal.

"Guys..." Romanoff said slowly.

"Call it, Captain." Tony nonchalantly replied, but Harry knew this was a big thing for him. This was Tony Stark letting someone else at the controls.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark and Harry, you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash." Cap ordered, and he showed his prowess as an officer in the military with those concise words.

The Clint fellow, Barton, turned to Tony. "Wanna give me a lift?"

"Right, better clench up, Legolas."

Harry and Tony take off, the latter with his hanger on who seemed to be taking the scientist's words seriously until he was dropped on the indicated roof.

They are soon too busy to really be paying attention to the others.

_**"Stark, Potter! You gotta a lot of strays on your tail!"**_ Barton warns them, and Harry maneuvers himself on the broom so he's facing the tail, and fires off killing curses at the invaders. There's no time for mercy here.

_**"Just trying to keep them off the streets. And see now, they're dropping like flies?"**_

_**"And they can't bank worth a damn. Find a tight corner!" **_Barton suggests, and Harry turns back around when the number is about cut in half.

They swerve and turn while Barton picks off a few more. Then they grin at each other when the tunnel comes into view. _**"You thinking what I'm thinking, Harry?"**_

"I think I am, Tony!" Harry hoots, and they dart into the tunnel, their pursuers hot on their heels until at the end they turn out, leaving the poor breaks on the Chitauri's ships to take them right into a building.

"That was fun! Anything else for us, Barton?" Harry asked.

_**"Well, Thor's taking out a squadron down on sixth."**_

_**"And he didn't invite us?"**_ Tony sounded falsely hurt.

"Well, now that we know, we aren't gonna miss the whole party, are we?" Harry called, and he followed the other man to where ever this sixth was.

* * *

And that's chapter twenty one ladies and germs! Sorry I had to leave Fenrir and Sleipnir at home, but Harry is a bit protective of them, and doesn't want them anywhere near the line of fire. Probably wrapping up the fight in the next chapter or two, then it's off to hunt a (maybe) giant snake! Keep tuned, and see you Wednesday!

Lionna

PS: Congrats to my darling reader EmeraldEyed on her first day as a student teacher. Good luck, and don't kill the kids where anyone can see you! :P


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Don't own

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Two**_

Harry grinned and swerved into a barrel role as a Chitauri craft skimmed right past where his head had been only moments before. He hadn't had a good, clean fight like this in ages. The only reason he wasn't hesitant about sending another killing curse after the lizard like creature was because he had sent out a glimmer of Legilimency and found something really interesting.

The Chitauri were hive minded, and wasn't that fascinating? It had been a few centuries since he'd come across a hive minded race, where there was no 'we', but only 'I'.

The Chitauri were essentially one mind in many bodies.

So really, all they had to do was find the origin of the main mind, destroy it, and the threat would be obliterated.

Now if he were a mind that controlled many bodies where would he be... Green eyes were drawn up to the portal. Bingo.

"Hey, Tony, got any really big guns? Say... rocket launcher types?" He said calmly into the comm, even as a dozen Chitauri descended upon him. He fired off a _muffliato_ that scrambled the signal of whatever big brain was controlling them, sending them spiraling to the ground. Well that was a whole lot easier than the killing curse.

_**"Sorry Harry, got rid of all my rocket launchers. Why do you ask? Doesn't look like you need any help in taking these guys down."**_ Tony replied curiously.

"Damn. That's okay, I'll think of something. And I need one to destroy the Chitauri ship in the portal."

_**"What good will that do?"**_ Romanoff asked, and Harry noted that her tone was not as scathing with him as it had been. They should keep Barton around, he seemed to keep her calm somehow.

"Well, I just found out something interesting. The Chitauri are hive minded." He said, and gave a whoop of satisfaction when a _muffliato maxima_ took down about thirty of the damn things, and a freaking Leviathan too!

_**"And you think the main mind is on the ship?"**_ Tony perceptively filled in.

Harry dodged a blast from another of the lizard like creatures. "Got it in one."

_**"Alright, can someone explain to me what hive minded means?"**_ Cap said, his voice strained as he grappled with one on the ground.

_**"Well, it means that these guys only have one brain among them. And Harry and I agree that the one mind would probably try to keep out of trouble, and is back on the really big ship we can see through the portal."**_ Tony answered, and Harry snorted.

"Yeah, what he said. Hey, Tony, I'm dropping in to your place, looks like something interesting is about to happen there. Need me to grab anything?" The wizard said, just as Bruce, who was still the Hulk, threw Loki through a window.

_**"Nope, but could you tell Doctor Banner to please keep the damage to a minimum?"**_ Tony groaned over the comm, and Harry just laughed as he touched down.

Just in time to watch the show.

"Enough! You are all of you beneath me! I am God, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by-" Loki's rant was cut off by Hulk grabbing him by his feet and then proceeding to smash him back and forth against the ground.

Harry wished he had a camera.

The well abused god was then thrown to the side as Hulk caught sight of him. The green giant muttered "Puny god," as he approached Harry, and he got visibly less green and giant. Harry tactfully conjured some clothes for him to wear.

"Hiya, Bruce, having fun?"

Harry was surprised when the other man drew him into a bone crushing hug. "Don't you ever die again, you stupid idiot, alright?" Bruce said gruffly, then released him.

Harry shrugged. "I can try, but it'll be difficult. Guard my back?"

"What are you planning?" This time the other man's voice was exasperated.

"Just gonna go brain diving in fruit loop's mind, now that he's down for a bit." Harry said off-handily, crouching down next to the downed god. "Hello, again, Loki, aren't you happy to see me?"

The god could only groan while Harry peeled his eyelids open. While he could do quick surface legilimency scans on people without looking them in the eye, for the depth he needed to go into the crazy god's head, he would have to do it the old fashioned way. So that meant looking into odd green-turned-blue eyes.

Knowing that Bruce was at his back, Harry delved into the twisted mind.

Images flashed before his eyes, a crown (coveted), a blond boy (loved with exasperation), an eight legged horse (how did he give birth to that?), a newborn wolf (the child's oddities had to be the fault of the mother), and the wizard cut through them, shaking them off, until he got the the epicenter of the man's mind.

Everyone had them, though they came in different forms, and Loki's was interesting. It was a building made entirely of crystal. It gleamed almost blindingly, and Harry was glad that Loki had no clue about the practice of occlumency, thus he faced no opposition when he walked into the building.

That was where he found the pollution, and the cause of it.

On a pedestal lay a mental representation of the scepter that Loki had. It would have looked innocent enough, if it weren't for the fact that a thick blue sludge was seeping from it, covering the pedestal and spreading out like a disease.

"Just like I thought. Well we can't have that." Harry muttered, and set to work. The sludge was gathered into a large crystal container that he found. He levitated the substance into it, wisely deciding not to touch it. The scepter was more difficult to take care of. Harry thought for a moment, then levitated it in with the sludge.

And then grinned maliciously when he set _fiendfyre_ upon the container, controlling it effortlessly. The small songbird made of fire consumed the sludge, container, and scepter, growing into a large bird of prey, before snuffing itself out.

Harry nodded in a satisfied fashion, and faded from the mind scape, knowing his job was done when the bleak atmosphere brightened considerably, making the crystal memory building gleam.

He looked up, back in his body, and smiled reassuringly at Bruce. "That should take care of that." He told the man, pulling himself to his feet. "But now I'm thirsty. Any idea where Tony keeps his water bottles?"

"I would be happy to get one for you, Mr. Potter." A distinctly British male voice suddenly rang out through the room, and Harry blinked.

"Er... How do you know my name?" Was all he could think of saying.

"Originally from the information gained from the SHIELD archives." The unnamed voice replied.

"Tony, did you know you have a creepily well informed British guy hiding somewhere in your house?" Harry said into the comm, still looking for the origin of the voice. He could hear the genius's answering snort.

_**"That's just Jarvis, Harry, my AI."**_

"AI. Right, because that explains everything. What the bollocks is an AI?" He growled, and heard Bruce laughing behind him. Apparently Jarvis the AI took it upon himself to answer.

"AI stands for artificial intelligence, Mr. Potter. I am, essentially, just a very smart computer."

Harry raised one eyebrow. "Well that's kind of cool. Alright then, yeah, I would like that water, if you don't mind."

A panel in the wall opened, and a pair of water bottles sat innocently in the alcove that was revealed. Harry grabbed one and tossed the other to Bruce. He was about to bring it to his lips when Fury's voice rang out over the comm.

_**"Stark, do you hear me? You have a missile headed straight for the city."**_

Harry drew up short. A missile? "I'll have to take a rain check on that water, then. Sorry Jarvis." Harry told the AI. "We've got some sort of missile heading this way, Bruce. So that's me back to business. Can you keep an eye on fruit loop here?"

Bruce's eyes widened. "Er, yeah. Alright."

Harry nodded, and picked up his broom where he had dropped it when he came into the room. He dived gracefully from the balcony, talking into the comm. "Director, who the hell sent out the missile, and for what purpose?"

_**"... It was a decision made by the SHIELD council."**_ He answered reluctantly.

Harry cursed. "Your people made the decision to just up and probably kill thousands of civilians? Tell them that as soon as I'm done here, I'm coming for them, because they could have just done more damage than Loki could dream of right now. And you best hope you're not part of that freaking council."

_**"I'm not. But I will be sure to inform them of your message."**_ This time the man's voice was obviously smug.

"How long do we have until it hits?" Harry growled.

_**"Two minutes at best." **_Was the reply.

Harry glanced up at the portal, and smirked. "You know what, I know just where to put it."

_**"I can close it. Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!"**_ Romanoff crowed over the comm.

"Could you hold off on that for a few minutes, Agent? If you don't mind?" Harry said.

_**"What do you have planned, Harry?"**_ Cap asked.

"Something dangerous and probably really stupid, but it's out only shot in saving however many lives that inhabit this city. Tony, I'm taking care of the missile. I'll need a clear shot, think you could keep ahead of me and take care of anything in my path?" He shouted, just as a plane flew overhead and dropped the missile.

_**"Can do, Harry."**_

The wizard grabbed hold of the device, forcefully redirecting it upwards. Ahead of him Tony shot Chitauri out of his way. He breached the surface of the portal, his body automatically adjusting to the vacuum of space (and if that didn't prove he was no longer entirely human, he had no idea what would) and let go of the bomb, sending a propulsion spell at it. He stayed long enough to watch it hit the ship, before angling his broom back down and through the portal as it was closing.

He grinned in triumph when he saw the aliens fall from the sky. Then blinked owlishly.

"Huh... I feel... really... tired..." He said slowly, and Harry lost consciousness as he fell from his broom and plummeted towards the ground.

* * *

Voila, chapter twenty two. And, yes, I know that in the Marvel!verse, the Chitauri may not be hive minded, but as I said, I've never read the comics. I only know what I've learned from the movie, fanfics, and memebase. So maybe there's some other explanation for why all the Chitauri all collapse when the ship is destroyed. But this is my uneducated guess. And now, I think a nap is in order.

Lionna

PS: I wish I could draw or photoshop worth a crap to make this story a cover... ^^U


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Don't own

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Three**_

Harry slowly breached the surface of consciousness with a groan. Sitting up on the surprisingly comfortable bed, he stretched his arms above his head, causing his back and shoulders to give very satisfying cracks.

It had been lifetimes since he'd had that level of magical depletion. It was almost comforting to know that he was still able to use up all of his reserves like that.

He noticed there was a weight in his lap, and smiled gently down at a sleeping Fenrir. So if he was here, then...

_"You are entirely too reckless to be left on your own."_ The dry voice said, and Harry sheepishly looked over at Sleipnir, who was standing by the plush bed he was lying in.

"Well, hello to you too. It's not like I could have died." He pointed out, taking in his surroundings while they talked. They were other wise alone in a rather opulent and spacious room. So obviously not the helicarrier, then.

_"No, but there are worse things than dying."_ The horse huffed.

The wizard sighed, and ran his hand down his companion's neck. "Right, I'm sorry. Next time I plan to do something life or limb threatening, I'll warn you."

The large head was tossed, and Sleipnir's voice said imperiously, _"That is all I ask."_

"Right... so where are we? And how did you get here?"

"You are in a suite in Stark Tower, Mr. Potter. I have already informed the others that you are awake. They are all currently on their way." Jarvis chimed in.

Sleipnir answered the other question. _"The man who smells of iron and pain brought a large metal bird to the floating castle. He took my brother and I, and brought us here without so much as a by your leave. You will express my displeasure at the man handling, won't you?"_

Harry snorted just as the door was thrown open, and the room was flooded by people. He blinked at the gathering, and raised a hand. "Er... hi?"

Tony, who was at the head of the heard of people, grinned at him. "Ladies and gentlemen," He said grandly, "The savior of Manhattan." He flopped down on edge of the bed. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Harry." Fenrir, who had been jostled by his movement, woke up and blinked around at the crowd in adorable confusion.

"You had us worried there, for a moment. You fell off of your broom, it was lucky that Tony was still hovering nearby and caught you." Bruce told him, coming to stand next to Sleipnir. The man and horse exchanged wary looks, but seemed to simultaneously decide to ignore each other. Harry wondered if there was a story behind their new found tension.

"Sorry 'bout that. I over extended myself a bit." Harry sighed.

Thor crossed his arms (he looked oddly at ease in modern wear) and leaned against the door jam. "Even for an Asgardian, flying into space like you did is a dangerous practice, world-traveler." He pointed out loudly with a frown.

Harry winced at the volume, and sent him a wane smile. "I've lived on planets with worse conditions. I knew my body would adjust with no problem. I just didn't know that it would zap the last of my reserves."

"I'm still rather leery about the whole 'wizard' thing these guys say you are." The man named Barton said. Romanoff elbowed him in the stomach.

Harry wondered if the two were dating, and that's why she'd been so tense while he was under Loki's control.

"I am in fact, a wizard from another planet. You're Barton, right? With all that's been going on, we haven't really had a chance to talk."

The man nodded, but said nothing else.

"So how long have I been out for?" The wizard said when the silence threatened to get awkward.

Tony, who had gone from sitting at the foot of the bed to laying across it, shrugged. "About a day and a half." He answered, yawning. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink in that time.

Harry noted Bruce looked much the same. He glanced from one to the other. "So it's been a day and a half since we all fought off an alien invasion, and you guys are still conscious?"

Cap snorted as he pushed his way past Thor, and tossed Harry a water bottle. "Jarvis said you might want that. Director Fury's been sending messages non stop, but no one here is answering him. But it does tend to keep us up at night. Save for those two." He pointed at Bruce, who seemed to be nodding off on Sleipnir (who looked none too happy) and Tony, who was blinking balefully at the ceiling. "They've been figuring out a way to contain the Cube for transport from here to Asgard."

Harry grabbed Fenrir by the middle as the pup attempted to make a grab for the scientist's hair. The wolf wriggled in his grasp, and his voice grumbled in Harry's head, _"Wanna be bigger again."_ Harry just snorted and settled the pup back on his lap. He then went into full on parent mode, used to dealing with a large group of different personalities with as many times as he had adopted children.

"Alright, so, you two go get some sleep. You won't be able to build a container if you're falling asleep on your work benches." Harry ordered Bruce and Tony, nudging both drowsy scientists, who made to argue but shut up with a forceful green eyed stare was leveled their way, and they both shuffled out. "Thor, think you could find me something to eat, I'm starved." The god smiled brightly, and bounded off, presumably in the direction of the kitchen. That left Cap, the two assassins, and his companions looking at him expectantly. "Right, um... Cap, would you mind taking Sleipnir and Fenrir out to go to the bathroom? I doubt Tony would enjoy them using the facilities in here, and I don't think I'll be able to stand without hitting the floor for a while yet." The blond man nodded earnestly, and Harry conjured a leash and collar to put on Fenrir. The animals were lead out.

That just left the two assassins, who seemed boggled at the swift way he dealt with the multitude of people. "All right, so Barton, are we sure that all of the scepter's influence has been irradiated from your mind?"

The man shrugged, "There's no way we can really check." He pointed out.

"Would you mind if I checked?" Harry asked mildly. "It's not that I don't trust you, but..."

Romanoff cut off whatever Barton was about to say. "We would appreciate that, actually. It wouldn't be good if he was on a mission, and all of a sudden it reared its head again."

Barton looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding in consent.

Harry motioned him over, and made him sit down on the bed. "This isn't going to hurt a bit, it's just going to feel a bit odd. And I won't be going after any memories, but you'll get flashes of them until I breach the protective curtain of them. Don't panic, and keep your eyes on mine. Alright?"

"So you're going to read my mind?" Barton asked, sounding more interested than scared.

"Not exactly. I'm going to be heading for your memory building, which is where the core of your personality is. From there I'll be looking for pollutants." Harry had moved seamlessly from parent mode to doctor mode (he had been a doctor a few times, actually liked that role a lot more than the times he was what equated to a police officer in whatever culture he was in at the time).

With that, he looked the man in the eyes, and delved in.

He saw a man and a woman vaguely (pain, loss), a bleak house filled with children (desperation, escape), a boy (betrayal), a circus (freedom, sadness), a man with a sword (disbelief, betrayal, loss).

Harry pushed past the tragic childhood that was a shield for the inner workings, and landed on the grass in front of a large circus tent. "Huh, you know, I didn't really peg him as a carny." The wizard remarked, ducking into the tent.

He wondered around the large, mainly empty tent, his eyes sharp for any hint of anything that didn't belong. It didn't take long for him to find the gelatinous blue sludge, like he had seen in Loki's mind. There was no scepter here, though.

The goo was in the center of what would have been the lion tamer's cage, slowly oozing through. With a disgusted sneer, Harry levitated it into an abandoned popcorn bucket, and set the bucket's content's aflame while the receptacle was left unharmed. It was a lot less that what he had found in the god's mind, and he made sure that there was none anywhere else, before exiting the other man's mind.

"Hawkeye, huh? That's an interesting name. Well, that should take care of any residue in you. I got rid of what I could find, and it's doubtful that there was any that could have hidden from me, but if you exhibit any symptoms, call me over the comm immediately. I'll be coming back to Earth for a bit after taking Thor and Loki back to Asgard." Harry turned to Romanoff (the Black Widow... these people certainly did like their secret identities) and tilted his head. "Agent Romanoff, you said that some big scientist was also affected."

She smiled at him for the first time since he'd landed on that planet. "Thank you for helping him. And yes, Doctor Selvig... but he is going through an entirely different regimen than Clint's that should rid him of any lingering effects." Harry sighed gratefully. He didn't like shuffling through people's minds, and he'd already done so twice in the last two days.

At that exact moment, Thor came in with a bowl of steaming soup that he said the wall gave him, (Harry thanked him and Jarvis) Sleipnir and Fenrir dragged a ragged looking Steve back into the room, and Bruce and Tony came back in, the former to complain about the latter.

Harry sipped the soup he was given, and looked around fondly at the boisterous group, who were arguing, bantering, laughing, and cutting up in the room that suddenly seemed a lot smaller than it had been when he woke up.

Fenrir settled in a dip in the blankets, chewing on a pine cone he had found. He looked at Harry, and asked innocently, _"We help father now?"_

The wizard was about to ask what had happened to the other god, but let it drop for now while the atmosphere was so relaxed. Besides, he could still feel his legs trembling, he wouldn't be able to stand long enough to deal with the god if that's what needed to be done. So he murmured placatingly to the wolf, and settled back, adding his two pence to the conversations, and basking in the warmth of developing friendships.

* * *

And that chapter was almost entirely fluff. But I felt like writing fluff. Not to mention the main body of action is already over... Annywho, BIG thanks to Quetzalcoatls for my cover! Isn't it pretty? But anyone who feels like drawing... no author ever turns down fanart for their fic, right? Posting a bit early today, but I'm off to the shooting range for the next four hours to blow holes in a piece of paper that looks like my chauvinist boss. Anger management at its finest, ladies and gents.

Lionna


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Don't Own_**  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Four**_

Harry shook his head ruefully.

"I'm a big boy, I can go in by myself." He told the people standing off to the side of the doorway.

Cap shook his head in the negative. "Sorry, Gle-Harry. He was bent on taking over the world two days ago, so we're not risking it. And are you sure you should even be out of bed right now?"

Harry leaned against Sleipnir, ignoring Fenrir's nosing at his hair from where he was perched on his brother's broad back, "I fought in a battle between worlds only minutes after coming back from the dead." He reminded them dryly. "I think it won't hurt me all that much to have a conversation with someone a full day after I passed out. My magic is back at peak levels, I promise."

Thor crossed his arms, and scowled protectively. "The last time you spoke to my brother in a situations like this, there wasn't much talking going on. I believe you turned him into a giant slug. If it was a lack of magic that caused you to faint, then I am wary of allowing you to use any more for a while."

Harry's eyes widened, and he huffed in indignation. Fenrir placed his paws on the wizard's shoulder. "First, please say 'pass out' or something. Fainting makes me sound like a girl. Second, there's no 'allowing me to use my magic'. I am eight hundred years old. No matter how young I look, remember that I am no child, and whether I use magic or not is not for you to allow, Thor Odinsson." He said sternly.

The god blinked, and hunched slightly, properly chastised. "I- no- I'm sorry, it's just..."

The wizard sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know, you were worried. But you don't need to be." He looked at the two blond men who stood on either side of him. Bruce and Tony were still working on the transportation of the cube, and Natasha and Clint were back on the Helicarrier reporting to Fury or something. "Alright. You two can come in. But could you stay quiet, no matter what happens or is said? This is between me, the kids, and Loki." Thor's part in this would come later, once Loki had a long talk with their father. For now, the only bridges Harry was looking to cross (or burn) were those between the dark haired god and his estranged sons.

Cap nodded curtly. Thor paused, then repeated the action.

Harry sighed again, this time in relief, and turned to the door. He smiled slightly to the guards, before moving past them and leading the little entourage through the metal portal.

The room beyond was simple, almost spartan. A stool stood on one side of a large cell wall (most likely where another guard had been sitting before they arrived) on the other was a toilet, a sink, and a cot. The cot was where they found their goal sitting.

"Loki." Harry acknowledged.

The god looked up from where he had been staring at the floor. His face was a study of blankness, but the wizard could detect the slightest hint of nerves in his once again green eyes. "World-traveler." He said blandly.

"How are you enjoying SHIELD's hospitality?" Harry asked politely. Sleipnir moved to peer suspiciously over his shoulder, Fenrir leaped off his back and pressed himself against the bars of the cell, his nose cast in the air and his tail wagging happily.

_"Father! Packmate helped father! Bad anger gone gone gone."_ The wolf sing-songed in his head.

Both dark haired humans looked at the wolf. "So your bond progressed that far with him." Loki murmured.

_"Do not get my brother's exuberance wrong, there is still anger... but the pollution is gone. And the anger is not even as volatile as it was before his fall."_ Sleipnir told Harry. Loki's head whipped in his direction, and his green eyes widened.

He moved toward the bars, and stared at his children as if he was seeing them for the first time. "I was not even aware the horse was capable of speech." He commented.

Thor started, and shifted as if to go for his hammer. He quelled under Harry's glance.

"The horse's name is Sleipnir. You would do well to remember that. The wolf is Fenrir. Call them by their names if you're going to talk to them at all." The wizard said, fighting to keep his voice bland. "They're both brilliant, and capable of more than most give them credit for. It might be your genes shining through."

Loki shook his head, and frowned. "They are animals, not proper heirs. Not in the slightest."

Harry snorted, and casually leaned against Sleipnir. "You know, I'm not good with regime lines and all that, but I figured that the Asgardian throne, like most I've seen, pass on to the older brother, not the younger, so, whether they're fit heirs or not... a point on which I disagree with you anyway, isn't relevant. Not unless there's a few deaths ahead of them." He commented, his voice polite.

Loki looked ready to snarl something, but between one second and the next, he deflated. "Even if it were not so, I would no longer be in the running for the Asgardian throne. Odin would not accept me back after..."

The wizard shrugged. "Oh, you would probably be surprised at what Odin would and would not do. But... I guess it's not my place to talk about this, hm? You'll be seeing him soon enough. No, this chat is all about you," He motioned to the captured man, "And them." The hands moved to indicate the animals.

He was weighing Loki now, though the god did not know it. Weighing his worth as a parent. He had done so many times before. If the other man came up short, if Harry couldn't bring him around to seeing his offspring as they were, and not failed experiments well... Slugzilla would be considered almost pleasant compared to the things he could do and had done to purposely and repeatedly negligent parents that had refused to change.

Loki crossed his arms, "And why do you even care if I reconcile with... them? Tell me that, world-walker."

Fenrir danced around Harry's feet, looking at his father, _"This is packmate!"_ He introduced, unaware, it seemed, of the tension between 'packmate' and 'father'._ "Packmate is good! Packmate take care of us and fix father!"_

Harry smiled wanly down at the prancing creature. He knew that if he had to make it so that the two never had contact with Loki again to protect them, it would devastate the wolf. He was not looking forward to it.

Loki frowned and tilted his head slightly.

The wizard jumped when a thought struck him, causing his silent protectors to jump too, and go for their weapons. A glance from Harry had them settling back into their ready stances, though. "Hey, if you can hear them talking to me over the link, can you hear what I'm thinking?" He demanded, more interested than worried.

The Frost Giant looked unimpressed. "I cannot actually tell what... they are saying over your 'link', I can just sense the passage of messages over the bond."

"Oh, like the traveling of electric current over phone lines. That's interesting, actually. We'll have to discuss that more, when we all get back to Asgard."

He tilted his head towards Sleipnir to address a question where the god would not hear, _**"So... he doesn't have a link with you two? I mean, because you can both hear each other and me through the link, if he was also connected he would be able to do the same, right?"**_

_"Why do you think he would allow himself to sink so low as to have any sort of link to us lowly creatures?"_ Sleipnir tossed his head. Harry could tell that no matter how well today went, any problems that lay between the god and horse would take more than one talk to get through.

_**"Well, he is your father, I just thought..."**_

Sleipnir's sigh was gusty in his mind, _"Any link he had with us from birth... he willingly broke himself not long after."_ His answer was reluctant.

Harry forgot himself. "What?" He yelped out loud. "But with most links like that, breaking them would mean-"

"Extreme physical pain for both sides, and acute mental weariness for weeks after? Had I known that before hand, I may have been more reluctant. But the pain lessened with each broken connection, until I barely felt it." Loki said, and found himself pinned with burning eyes an admittedly brighter shade than his own.

"You bastard." Harry hissed, picking up Fenrir and drawing him to his chest. "Do you know what you put them through, when they were just infants? What damage you could have done to their minds? Did it not occur to you that your age and mental acuity protected you from a good deal more of the backlash than they experienced? Now I'm going to have to betray both of their privacy to make sure your _ripping_ at _important paths_ in their _minds_ didn't damage all of them irrevocably?"

He turned away from the god, seething. Fenrir whined in confusion. "We're done here." The wizard growled to his bodyguards, and stormed out the door, followed by a contemplative Sleipnir and two very confused blond men.

None of them looked back, so none of them saw the shock and the beginnings of remorse on the god of mischief's face.

* * *

He was silent all the way back to Stark Tower, brushing off any attempts to speak to him while he pet both wolf and horse soothingly.

It was obvious that Loki was no master of the mind arts. He couldn't have had any idea what sort of damage he was doing to the children he didn't care anything about. Harry just wondered furiously that even had he known at the time, would it have mattered?

When they arrived, he barely acknowledged Bruce's and Tony's greetings, leading his two animal companions to his room. He didn't hear hear Thor and Steve try to explain the situation to them the best they could.

He had more important things to worry about. He closed the door and called, "Jarvis, could you make sure no one bothers me?"

"Certainly, Mr. Potter." he AI answered.

Harry sat heavily on the bed, and settled Fenrir on his lap while Sleipnir stood nearby. "Alright, I'm going to explain all of this, but first we need one more member of the party. Hel! Got any free time?"

He felt a weight land beside him on the bed. "For my favorite Master of Death? Sure. I'm all yours." She said, and he smiled wanly at her.

Taking a deep breath, he delved into the explanation. "Alright, so... Hel, I'm not sure if you had a connection with him from birth, seeing as how you're not animalistic in base nature, but Fenrir, Sleipnir, and most likely Jormungand, were born with a mental connection with your father. The main purpose of this connection was so that, if they were ever in possible distress, they would be able to notify him immediately."

The girl nodded and settled herself more comfortably for story time.

"Most magical animals are born with this connection to their patriarch. They establish it in vitro to both parents. Unfortunately, from what I understand, both your mother and Sleipnir's sire were both killed by Loki, right?"

Hel nodded sadly. "Yeah, once he saw us, he decided it had to be her fault and killed her."

Harry placed his hand on hers for a second before withdrawing it to continue. "Anyway, so this connection usually wears thin over time, breaking naturally by itself once the child considers itself old enough to be independent. Breaking it too soon, though, often has dangerous repercussions for the child. Loki broke all connections to any of you, not only before they were ready to be broken, but when they were strongest. The backlash from doing so would have caused a great deal of both mental and physical pain, and would tear at the infant's neural connectors viciously, sometimes resulting in instant death."

Hel gasped and sat forward, her expression thunderous. She glanced down at Fenrir, who did not seem to be following the conversation very well and had spent most of it gnawing on Harry's shoe. Sleipnir clopped his foot on the ground in agitation at the announcement.

"So he could have killed them before they even had a chance to live?" She grumbled. Then stood, intentions clear in every line in her body.

"Sit back down, Hel. You're not allowed to kill your father, and you know that."

She plopped back down with a mutinous expression, and crossed arms. "But I could maim him irreparably." She grumbled, scowling when he shook his head. "Fine. Why is he not dead already?"

"Mainly because I'm trying to convince myself that he had no idea that what he'd done was possibly lethal. But if find out he knew very well what he was doing... well..." His eyes flashed, and sparks flew a short distance from them. "Then feel free to do what you will with the pieces of him I leave behind when I'm done with him."

Hell sat back, and her answering grin was vicious. "That's all I ask for."

When both calmed their anger sufficiently, Harry described to her what a broken connection like that would feel like, and she assured him that she would look for signs, and upon finding any present herself for a few sessions of heavy mind healing.

She disappeared, and Harry smiled grimly at Sleipnir. "I won't do this without your permission, Sleipnir. I would need to delve through a lot of your mind, and spend a few hours reconnecting and healing any connections that were damaged."

_"You never said how this sort of damage would affect us."_ The horse pointed out.

"Well, it's different in most cases, but you've heard about animals who were calm and peaceful just suddenly snapping with no warning?"

_"I have witnessed it once, with a nag in Odin's stable. They put her down."_

Harry flinched slightly. "Well, it won't come to that here. We caught it in time. But what happened there was a main connection, one from rational thoughts to action, eroded so much it snapped."

_"So it is possible I, or Fenrir, will do the same?"_

Harry nodded sadly.

_"Then I give you consent for both myself, and my brother in his stead. He's too young to understand what's going on."_ The horse tossed his large head. _"I... trust you."_

* * *

__I'M ALIVE! I am sooo sorry about the sudden dropping off the face of the Earth. My family life has been hectic to say the least over the past... oh, God, three months? Wow! Anyway, I've barely touched a computer, but I'm back now! This is an idea I've been kicking around recently, and I really meant for this chapter to be a lot more upbeat, but... well... Anyway! Chapter twenty four, my most sincere apologies, and a more trusting relationship between Harry and Sleipnir, while Loki has been a bad boy long before he hit the silver screen. I feel as if I packed a bit more into this chapter than originally intended...

Lionna


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Don't own

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Five**_

Harry's expression brightened drastically, and he smiled at his companion. "That's all I'll ever ask of you. I don't need anything else." He sighed, and straightened on the bed, noting absently with relief that Fenrir had fallen asleep on his lap at some point. At least Harry wouldn't have to worry about what havoc the young wolf could wreak upon his room unsupervised.

Running his finger over the wolf's soft snout, he put a sleeping spell on Fenrir that would keep him in that state for a few hours. Just in case.

Turning his attention back to Sleipnir, he began explaining what he was going to do. He often found that explaining things tended to soothe the people around him when he was doing something they weren't used to, and often had the benefit of avoiding later conflict. "Now, I've already done this sort of thing twice, so you won't find a better expert on it than me. What I need to do is delve into your mind. Minds are separated into three parts, conscious thought, memory building, and base instincts. I'm going to have to go through each thoroughly looking for cracks and weaknesses. To do this, I'm going to have to enter your mind three times, because you have to go in with a destination, and that's the only place you can go while you're in there. On average, altogether, the process takes eighteen hours. I usually stretch it over six days, spending two three hour increments in each zone. Do you want to start today or..."

_"No, it is fine. We can start now."_ A gusty sigh echoed in Harry's mind. _"Even when he is not here, that man causes problems for my siblings and I. I assume you will have to do the same for Jormungand if he is receptive?"_

"It would probably save everyone a lot of trouble. Even in your Earth bound forms, you two have a lot of power. I can only imagine what Jormungand is like, having lived here since..."

Sleipnir snorted. _"You try to be too tactful. I am grown and can handle the truth you avoid. You meant to say, 'since he was cast out by Odin'. I am no fool, World-walker."_

Harry shook his head ruefully. "No, you're not. But your life's been pretty difficult up until now, and I hate to have to add to it."

_"The truth is not a difficulty by itself. It is the intent behind it that makes some truths hard to bear. Your only intent, for whatever reason, is to care for my siblings and I."_

The wizard looked to the side, embarrassed. "You're very blunt." He muttered.

Sleipnir tossed his head, and Harry got the impression that if he could, the horse would be smirking. _"I am only being truthful. Now. Shall we begin?"_

The dark haired man nodded. "Yeah. Alright. Could you come closer? All you have to do is look me in the eyes. From that point on, your consciousness will be following mine around, seeing what I see." The animal god complied, and Harry smiled one last time before diving in.

He decided that the first area he would work on would be the base instincts, wagering that most of the damage would be there, and focused on that thought, letting the mind naturally pull him there.

Hunger, fear, pain, anger, sadness, lust. It was all here in an ever undulating and pulsating whirl of colors, and flashes of emotion.

"So these are my base instincts? I did not expect something so disorganized." The consciousness did not have a recognizable form, it was just an entity that gave of the same feeling that Sleipnir did in the real world.

Harry sighed. "It's not supposed to be." There was a lot more to be done here than he thought.

Sleipnir was silent as the wizard worked, disentangling strands of emotions and healing patches where it seemed something had split, spilling colors all over.

Harry lost himself in his work, forgetting everything except what he was doing. He did not have to make an effort not to examine the innermost feelings of his charge, because he barely gave them a passing glance, other than to clean them up.

It was a surprise to feel the tug of his body, calling his mind back.

"That would be the end of our first time, then, Sleipnir." Harry announced, and allowed the pull to grip him.

He opened his eyes, and stretched muscles that cramped from being in the same position for a few hours. "Alright, so tomorrow I'll finish up with that section, and then start on your brother. We'll find out soon enough if I have to do the same thing with Hel."

"What the heck was that?" Tony's voice caused Harry to jump, which jostled the still sleeping Fenrir into wakefulness as the sleeping spell wore off. The wolf blinked in confusion, and yawned.

Harry looked around to find himself surrounded by interested looking Avengers. He lifted an eyebrow. "Jarvis?" He called pointedly.

"I'm sorry sir, but Mr. Stark overrode your order forcefully. And... technically, they weren't bothering you." The AI pointed out.

The wizard shook his head. "Yeah, great." He muttered. "How long have all of you been standing there?"

"Well, we've actually just been coming in and out to check on you for the past two hours. So... what was that? We come in, and you and pony boy are just staring at each other, not blinking or moving or anything. I thought you two were having the most intense staring match ever... but you didn't even twitch when we called your name so then I figured that it probably had something to do with the thing point break and Capsicle said you were pissed about." Everyone else gathered nodded in agreement while Tony threw himself on the bed, and was immediately besieged by a playful Fenrir, who tugged on his hair.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Could we move this interrogation out into the lounge. It would be too cramped if I were to conjure seats for everyone." He said, getting up. Turning to Sleipnir, he murmured, "Stay in here and get some sleep. You'll be too tired to do anything for a few hours."

_"Do not worry about me. I had no intention of following you. The man who smells of iron and pain is annoying when he is curious."_ Harry snorted, and picked up the tail end of the line that filed out of his room.

Once they were all settled, Harry began. "Well, I'm going to assume that by now all of you have a vague notion of what Loki did."

Natasha nodded. "Thor and the Captain filled us in when we got back." She motioned to herself and Clint.

Cap shrugged sheepishly. "Sounded like he got rid of some sort of connection that he had with the kids, and doing so did a lot of damage."

The wizard nodded. "That's a bit of an understatement."

Over the next few minutes, he filled in the entire group about the different links, and how they worked.

"So... in tearing it apart, he tore apart some of the children's minds?" Thor growled, looking at Fenrir, who had followed them out of the room and was playing with a ball Harry had conjured for him.

"In short, that's exactly what he did."

Tony frowned. "How does that connect back to the staring contest we found you having?"

"Is it like what you did for me?" Clint asked gruffly. Harry had a feeling the guy didn't thank people much, and had no idea how to go about it.

He nodded. "In a sense, yes, it is. I go into the mind, and fix it. But that's where the similarities stop. See, with you, Clint, I felt that the poison was only affecting one part of your mind, the memory building. I went there, and got rid of any lingering poison from the staff. But there are two other areas of the mind, the base instincts and the conscious thought. What I'm doing for Sleipnir and Fenrir is going into all three of those areas and fixing any damage caused by the breaking of their link to Loki."

"Sounds pretty intricate." Bruce pointed out, looking interested.

Harry shrugged. "Not really. It's just a lot of work." His eyes sharpened. "But what you guys did today was foolish." The group as a whole flinched from his sudden change in tone. "If you had disturbed me over much, the connection between my mind and my body could have snapped, leaving my consciousness stranded in a part of Sleipnir's mind."

They all looked horrified at the notion, and began talking at once, and the wizard sighed, putting up his hand to stop the chatter. "It's alright, it didn't happen. But for the next few weeks, you'll need to leave me alone if I ask you to. I'm going to be doing this for several days. Understand?"

"Of course, Gle-Harry, I'll make sure we'll stay out from under your foot while you're taking care of the kids." Cap said forcefully. Harry smiled at him, then stood, stretching.

"Alright, talk over. I'm starved." He announced, unceremoniously walking off to the kitchen, leaving a slightly dazed group behind.

Thor address them. "Do you think he intends to do anything to Loki, for what he has done?"

No one could answer him, because no one knew.

* * *

Harry sat back with a sigh the next day. "All right, that's your base instincts back in order. That man really did a number on them." He muttered. "He better hope for his sake that the rest are not in such bad order."

Sleipnir nodded sleepily, his eyelids already drooping. It was interesting watching the world-walker work in the mental scape. But he claimed the area was done, and it looked the same to the horse god as it had the first time he had seen it.

Maybe there were things out of order that he would not notice, as untrained as he was in the mental arts?

He let that thought pull him into slumber, while Harry quietly got up and led Fenrir out of the room.

_"Outside?"_ The wolf asked hopefully. Harry grinned down at him.

"Sounds like a great idea." He told the animal, conjuring a leash and collar that fixed themselves onto Fenrir's neck. The young wolf pranced around as he led his packmate to the door.

"Going out, Harry?" Cap called, jogging up to them.

The wizard smiled. "Yeah, you want to come?" He offered. Cap accepted cheerfully, but before they could make it to the door, they were stopped again.

"Save me, Harry!" Tony cried dramatically, grinning as he ran out of the lab. Harry could hear Bruce shouting after the man. "Oh. Are you going to walk Fenrir?" The man asked brightly, "Can I come? I _need_ to get out of that lab!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry laughed. "Alright. You want to come too, Bruce?" He called, and heard an affirmative sounding but incomprehensible answer. Soon all four were trekking out the front door of the building, waving at the construction workers.

Harry marveled at how resilient the people of New York were. It was not even a week after the attack, and it seemed the people were already getting back on their feet and back to business as usual.

A few people who caught sight of the group stopped and stared. Apparently they'd been recognized. Harry quickly sent up a mild Notice-Me-Not around them so that they wouldn't be mobbed. Too many people made Fenrir nervous. The people who had stopped shook their heads and moved on, and the infamous group was left alone.

They walked to the closest park, chattering to each other. Bruce and Tony seemed to be deep into a discussion about the project they were working on. Steve decided it was the perfect time to ask the question that had been on his mind since the day before.

"Hey, Harry, you said yesterday that we need to leave you alone for the next few weeks to deal with what Loki had done to the kids... but you're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

The wizard smiled at him, clearly understanding the question the man didn't want to ask. "Yeah, but I'm coming back right after." He carefully did not comment on the other man's sigh of relief. He could understand the value of a familiar face in a strange world. "Loki needs to spend some serious time with Odin, Frigga, and Thor. And besides, I don't want the kids near him right now, so I'm leaving Fenrir and Sleipnir here while I transport the brothers and the Cube to Asgard, and then I'm heading back here. It's time I started looking for Jormungand."

"The world snake, right?" Steve asked, remembering someone talking about it.

Harry nodded. "Someone's been reading up on their mythology."

"Not really, but I think I heard Director Fury mention him."

Harry's expression sharpened. He hadn't forgotten about the man, and the council he still had to deal with, but they had been put off for more important things. Now that he was thinking about it, maybe it was time to visit the man, and the council that had attempted to bomb the city.

Filing the thought away for later, he let Fenrir off his leash at the park, and smiled as the pup immediately found some innocent bug to stalk.

Tilting his head back to look at the sky, he frowned. There was a faint sense of _something_ at the edge of his senses, something wrong. It felt like Hel's aura in some ways, but nothing like her in others. It was a jarring note.

"Harry, could you help me out here? The good Doctor insists that my calculations aren't right, but he won't tell me where they're wrong." He heard Tony whine, and turned to the man, shaking his head. He was just being oversensitive. Nothing was coming.

The evil had been eradicated.

Right?

* * *

Miles away, in a bunker that very few people knew about, and fewer still knew the location of, a prisoner looked at the bleak ceiling of his cell, and shuddered.

Loki had been warned of what would happen should he fail, and had waved it off. It was assured that he would not fail.

But in the face of the gathering of humans, his brother, and the world-walker, he and his powerful army had fallen. And now... he did not want to think about what He would do to him once he came. And it was assured that he _would_ come.

But maybe... maybe, if Loki threw himself to Odin's mercy...

It was of no use. Even Odin, in all his power, was no match for Him. Odin was more suited to the throne than the battlefield, now, having ruled for so long in peaceful times. But... Loki had felt the power from the World-Walker. The human-who-was-not-human contained more might than the god of mischief had ever encountered. He, and the ones who called themselves the Avengers, may be able to protect him from what would come for him.

But the Avengers would not protect him if the world-walker refused to. And the world-walker would refuse to as long as they had quarrels about the things Loki had borne. So, in order to gain the protection of the only being that could save him, the animals were the key.

He would just have to... play at being a father to the long enough to gain the world-walker's approval.

He smiled grimly. It was a slim hope, but it was all he had.

* * *

And now, bedtime. Because it is three in the morning, and I have work in a few hours.

Lionna


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Six**_

Harry sat back, pulling out of Fenrir's mind as smoothly as possible. The pup had no real idea what was going on, too young to understand, but he had been insatiably curious about what his 'packmate' was doing inside his mind. The entity that was Fenrir's being had followed Harry around the entirety of the three hours, asking questions about everything. Not content to stand back and observe like his elder brother had.

But that wasn't what was troubling the wizard. What he had seen of Fenrir's mind had been astonishing. The difference between his and Sleipnir's base instincts area was decidedly marked. Where Sleipnir's was bad, Fenrir's was horrible.

He caressed the sleepy pups head, his eyes distant. "I don't know if I'll be able to finish his base instincts by my next session. It's so bad, it looks like it will need at least two more three hour stints before it's done." He told Sleipnir quietly.

_"The way you spoke of this "tearing" of minds, you made it sound like it would get worse as we aged, and yet, you now say that my younger brother's mind was more torn than mine? Why is that?'_Sleipnir asked, his voice a soft whisper in the world walker's head. Fenrir drifted into dreams of bright colors and the warm presence that he associated with his pack mate.

Harry sighed, and ran his fingers through the downy fur. "I have a theory, but there's no way I could prove it." He murmured.

_"By all means, share it."_ The horse urged.

"Well, when Loki was talking about snapping the bonds, he said that by the last time, he felt next to nothing. Fenrir would have been the last connection he broke so maybe by that time Loki's own mind recognized the signs of a breaking connection, and instead of allowing itself to experience the pain, redirected it back to the other end of the connection, thus doubling the damage done to Fenrir's end."

Sleipnir stomped once, baring his teeth. _"You talked once of peace between us and the one that born us, but-"_ His large chest heaved with suppressed anger, _"That man has done nothing but cause my siblings and I grief. Were my servitude the extent of my quarrels with him, there would have been hope for forgiveness, but now..." _He moved forward to nudge at his slumbering younger brother, instincts urging him to take in the other animal's sent, which would usually help to gauge his health. But the pain that Fenrir had experienced was long gone, probably not even remembered. What lingered now was not a physical aspect.

Harry nodded, "I understand if you feel that way. I'm not going to force you to make peace with him. Hell," Here, he scowled, "If I didn't have to look at this objectively, I would go right now and incinerate him without another word."

Sleipnir's dark eyes focused on him. _"What is staying your hand?"_

The wizard gazed down at the sleeping wolf in his lap. "Mainly? Two things. One, he was a lot younger when he made the mistake of breaking the connection. A decision that he, by his own admission, did not entirely understand. Where would we all be if we were made to suffer forever for a bad decision?"

_"He should suffer."_ Sleipnir's voice was a hiss in his mind, and Harry sighed. He would love to agree with the horse, but really, he had made some pretty spectacular fuck ups in his time, so it would be pretty hypocritical for him to hold Loki to answer for ancient mistakes, especially when the god was sure to be punished by Odin soon enough. Sleipnir took that nebulous thought that Harry couldn't quite put into words. Harry could feel him calming over the link, soothed, most likely, by the knowledge that Loki was going to be suffering soon enough. _"And the second?"_ He prompted finally.

"Er... what?"

_"You said there were two reasons why you were hesitant to just kill the man. What is the second?"_

"Fenrir." Harry said simply, shrugging.

The horse tossed his head, and a wave of exasperation flooded the link. _"Yes, he does still hold a persistent... affection for the man. He would be sad if we kept him away."_

The dark haired man nodded, quirking a small smile. "Maybe he knows something we don't."

Sleipnir just snorted at that.

* * *

A few hours later found Harry standing alone in the park he had been to the day before. The Avengers had promised to meet here one last time until they scattered to their proper places, and Harry was a bit early. He sat pensively by a gurgling fountain, staring into the water like it held the answers to the universe.

He didn't hear the approaching footsteps until Thor was right behind him. When the man wasn't speaking, he could be incredibly quiet. Sometimes.

"World Walker, we are ready to depart." Thor said, his booming voice breaking the almost hypnotic state the other man was in. Harry jumped slightly, and turned to look at him, smiling sheepishly.

"Alright. Everyone's already here?"

Thor just nodded, and lead Harry over to the group. Natasha smiled warmly when she saw him, and Clint nodded. Tony grinned and grabbed his arm, dragging him over to Bruce so the two could explain how, under the right circumstances, the cube's transportation tube could also open a gate between Earth and Asgard, though the function was moot with Harry there. Steve just grinned when he saw the wizard roll his eyes in exasperated affection.

All the while Loki stood off to the side between two burly armed guards, his eyes intent on the scene.

* * *

Where were the animals? That was an integral part of his plan to get the powerful World Walker to trust him, and yet he could not enact that plan if the other parties were not present. Had the wizard already taken them ahead to Asgard?

Loki would have bared his teeth in irritation if it weren't for the odd thing over his mouth. Which was yet another hitch in his plan. If he could not speak, how could he convince the World Walker he had changed?

At just that moment, said man seemed to notice him, and the god found himself the focus of hard, laser green eyes.

The brief twist of a sneer on the World Walker's face was not a reassuring sight.

Loki felt like throwing things. His life was in danger, and the only hope of saving it was rapidly slipping through his fingers.

He took a deep breath, and tried to content himself with the thought that, while the World Walker disliked him now, maybe when they were both on Asgard Loki could insinuate himself into the group of those the wizard considered trustworthy after enough time.

* * *

Harry clapped Thor on the back, and jerked his head in the prisoner's direction. "So are you ready to push off?" He asked?

The god of thunder blinked, his eyes full of confusion. "Push... off? Of what?"

The dark haired man shook his head. "Sorry, turn of phrase. It means to leave."

The blond's expression brightened with comprehension. "Oh! Then yes! I am ready to be pushing off!"

Harry laughed lightly. "Close enough." Turning back to the group at large, he smiled. "Alright, so I'll be back in... say four hours? I need to speak to Odin and pay a visit to Heimdall. Fenrir should be waking up soon, and he'll be hungry, but you shouldn't have a problem with that. And feed Sleipnir, too. I'd like to keep them both on the same meal schedule. Don't forget to take them both outside to-"

Tony waved his hand, rolling his eyes. "Alright _mom_, I get it. Babysitting duty for me."

Harry grinned. "You got that right. Just be glad I'm not making you give Fenrir a bath." He took the container that held the Tesseract from Bruce, and made towards Loki. He handed the cube to Thor on the way.

He didn't get to see Tony's expression. The horror on the philanthropist's face was real. "I will never get that bathroom back to normal again. I should never have let him get a bath there." He bemoaned to the only person who would listen to him, which turned out to be Bruce. But he didn't get sympathy from the other scientist. Instead, the man laughed.

Thor and Harry went to stand in front of Loki while the two guards stepped back. The other Avengers gathered around in a loose circle to see them off. Harry stiffly grabbed Loki's arm, his face decidedly neutral. Thor clasped the wizard's other arm. With a final slurry of goodbyes, the three were gone. No one noticed the way the cube flashed when Harry's power activated.

* * *

They found themselves facing both Odin and Heimdall when they landed, and Harry quickly pulled away from the god of mischief to make his way over to his friend, a bright smile on his face. Thor handed the Tesseract to his father with a grandiose gesture, and the king took it solemnly, waiting until it was handed off to an attendant to pull his son into a hug.

The king then made his way over to Loki, who had watched the whole thing with blank eyes.

That expression did not stick around when Odin pulled him, too, into a hug.

"Welcome home, my son." Odin said gruffly, pulling away. The bound man just stared at him with open confusion.

Sighing and shaking his head, Odin said, "Were it not for your actions against Midgard, you would have been restored to your rightful place without punishment. Your fight should have started, and ended here. Because you decided that the innocent had to suffer for your folly, and struck a deal with the war creatures, you will have to face the consequences. I- what is over your face?" It seemed the king had only just noticed the technological gag that had been used on his youngest son.

"It is a device that kept my brother from using his silver tongue. The people of Midgard would fall easily into his web were he able to weave it." Thor explained boisterously. "So Director Fury decided that they would use that, in case there were others at the place of our departure. It proved an unneeded measure, but I thought it wise all the same."

Odin nodded, examining the device with interest. "I have heard much of this Director Fury from Heimdall. He seems like a warrior of good integrity. Is there a way to remove this?"

"There's a button on the side that releases it, same with the cuffs. I figure you have something that would hold him if you needed to."

Turning away from his bound son, he nodded to the wizard. "Indeed, but I hope that we can come to a decision that would make them unneeded. World walker. I gather that there is much we need to talk about. Would you be willing to wait until my family and I have discussed what is to happen to Loki?"

Harry nodded and smiled. "Of course, Odin. You'll find me at the Bifrost when you're done." He bowed, before Heimdall led him off.

* * *

Half an hour later found the two inside the Bifrost building, which had mostly been cleaned up by that point, lounging on a set of dark blue furniture Harry had declared the building needed.

"So what do you think I should do?" The wizard asked after a few minutes of silence. He knew he wouldn't have to explain what he was talking about.

Heimdall made a thoughtful humming sound. "Why do you feel the need to ask, Harry? You should know better than I do what sort of action this situation is calling for."

Harry turned to flop onto his stomach, stretched over the chaise lounge he was laying on, and sighed. "I don't know. I feel like I could mess up a lot of things if I make a bad decision."

"You could." Heimdall told him, nodding.

The dark haired man grimaced. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. No pressure, right?"

The god smiled. "But you are not going to make the wrong decision. You will think you are sometimes, but in the end, it will all work out for the better."

Harry blinked at him. "Oh, right. I forgot that sometimes you don't just see the present. So... just continue as I have been, then?"

Heimdall reached over the arm rest of the couch he was sitting on to ruffle the wizard's already messy hair. "Not only are you piecing back together a family, but you are well on your way to preventing Ragnarök."

"That is a relief." Odin said from the doorway, and both men turned to look at him. "I will admit, I was wary of placing the future of our whole race in the hands of an outsider. It is good to know my trust was not misplaced."

"Well, Heimdall did tell me all I needed to do was be myself. And since I had no plans to be anyone else, it worked out well for me." Harry said, sitting up. He gestured to the only piece of furniture that was not occupied, a plush blue arm chair.

Odin sat with a smile, and Harry grinned when he saw the surprised pleasure on the other man's face. The chair was probably a lot more comfortable than that gilded throne he normally sat on.

"Since you're here, I'm guessing that you have made a decision about what's going to happen with Loki." The wizard prompted.

Odin nodded. "We have, but before that... how are my grandchildren?" He looked a bit taken aback when Harry scowled.

"Loki did a number on them. I don't know about Hel, but both Sleipnir and Fenrir have some pretty severe mental damage. I hate it when people who have no idea what they're doing try to dabble in the mental arts."

The king sighed, and seemed to age before their eyes. "Heimdall has told me about Loki's brash actions regarding them. You must understand that it was a mistake made by a young and foolish man."

"I know. But it's still a hard pill to swallow. I don't know if I'll ever get Sleipnir to forgive Loki. Fenrir I would have no problem with, he's just a child. But Sleipnir's older, and has had more time to become bitter. I don't know how Jormungand feels, because I still haven't found him. Hel... well, she's mad at Loki, but only because of what his actions did to her brothers." Harry told him. "The real problem is, I don't know if I'm willing to let the kids be around Loki enough for any of them to really forgive him. He was young when he made the mistake of tearing the bonds, but he also spurned each of them, and continued to do so long past the point one could call him 'young and foolish'."

Odin sat back. "That... may prove to be a problem. I did not consider you would feel that way."

Harry gave him a strange look. "I told you before about the many children I've adopted over the years. It should come as no surprise to you that I would be wary about letting someone who has messed up so much near the ones he's wronged so badly. But... why would that be a problem for you?"

The king smiled a bit sheepishly, and Harry was reminded of how many times he'd seen Thor make the same expression. He was torn away from his musings when he registered the words that accompanied the smile. "The decision has been made that Loki would lose his magic powers until he has proven worthy of them. And that he would be put under your authority back on Midgard."

* * *

And that's chapter 26. New poll on my profile, unrelated to Crestfallen. I don't know why I always update so late at night...

Lionna


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Don't own

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Seven**_

Harry froze, his eyes going wide before they hardened, even as a large and obviously false smile spread across his face. "That was a good joke, Odin."

Odin sat forward, frowning. "It was not said in jest, World-walker. It is a decision that my family has decided was the right one. Even Loki was not opposed."

The smile was gone, and the wizard lifted one eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Well, I'm opposed. So it's not going to happen."

The god scowled. "Why do you refuse, it would help my son, and if anyone could show him the right way, it would be you." He cajoled.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Were I a few hundred years younger, that might have worked, Allfather. But seeing as I'm a bit more jaded than that... It was a nice effort. There are quite a few reasons I'm opposed. There is no way Loki could do anything but regress under my care. I would have the time to focus on his problems. Not the ones you want me to, anyway. I've got the kids to worry about, I still need to find Jormungand, not to mention that Sleipnir's anger at Loki is too raw and fresh for it to be healthy to have them close for any lengthy amount of time. And last but not least, you really wouldn't want to put a powerless Loki in my hands anyway. I'm not to happy at him myself, and not above getting petty revenge."

"What if I were to order you to watch him as you are his offspring?" Odin grumbled, although he knew he had already lost.

Heimdall, mostly forgotten in the mini debate, snorted. Harry shook his head. "You think that would change anything. I'm not one of your subjects, Allfather. Push the issue, and all I need to do is 'jump' elsewhere, and and I and the kids will be beyond your reach. And before you ask, yes, I would take them with me, now that I know I can. You put them in my care initially, you cannot take them away now."

The god deflated with a sigh. Years settled into the lines of his face. "What would you have me do then?" He asked tiredly.

The dark haired dimension traveler shrugged. "I don't know. Have him make reparations of some sort?"

Heimdall took that moment to reassert himself. "Would that be wise? The humans of Midgard witnessed him killing by the hundreds last they saw of him."

The gods looked at the wizard expectantly. He rubbed his hand roughly through his hair. "This is why I hate politics more than anything in all the worlds." He grumbled. "I don't know... Well... Actually, I might have an idea. But we're going to need some support from SHIELD. If anyone could pull this off, it would be Fury.

Heimdall was nodding thoughtfully as the future warped and changed in his sight. "That could work. Actually, that has very good chance of working perfectly."

Harry smiled ruefully at him. "You didn't even wait for me to explain it..."

Odin looked from one to the other. "I do not understand." He announced.

The wizard turned to address him. "Well, humans... we're a forgetful species. Take for instance the fact that we entirely forgot that you guys actually exist. So... change the face of every news clipping of Loki, make it look different, make it look like someone else, and it won't be long before people actually believe that is what the man who spearheaded the invasion looked like. Your son's presence would be ignored because it wasn't him who did it. It was someone with the same name, but looked completely different."

Odin took all of that in thoughtfully. "And... the humans would believe it?"

Harry ginned and nodded. "Have the government do anything, and people will believe it immediately. There might be a few of them that don't believe it _because_ it's the government saying it, but they're more few and far between than they would like to admit. So, get SHIELD to change the face and the clothes a bit in every single news archive they can find, which, by the way, they can find all of, then send down Loki and put him in the tender authority of SHIELD and the Avengers."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while the god king turned over the thought in his head, considering it. Heimdall broke it a few minutes later. "You may hate politics, World-Walker, but that does not mean you are bad at them."

Harry snorted. "Lots and lots of practice. So, you guys work on that idea from this end, I'll go make-er- ask SHIELD to take care of their part. And last but not least, for Merlin's sake, get the man a psychiatrist. The guy's got more problems than I can deal with."

Odin seemed to be taking mental notes, but was brought up short. "I do approve of this idea but... what is a psychiatrist?"

Harry sighed, and launched into the explanation of what a psychiatrist was, and how someone like that would help the king's wayward son.

After a while, he stood up and stretched lithely. "Alright, I'll leave you guys to hammer out the details. I'll be back tomorrow." With a jaunty wave, Harry left Asgard.

_**OoOoO**_

Jumping was both alike, and not like, Apparation. Where the normal, wizarding way of traveling felt like one was being pulled through a tight tube, jumping felt like he was being sucked into a vortex, his entire essence spinning around and rearranging itself into something that would survive the natural atmosphere of his destination.

It was an odd sensation, made even odder the times he jumped to worlds that were entirely water, thus ended up in him needing gills.

And it was a long process in comparison, thus the time it took to contemplate the similarities and differences.

Harry landed in his room in Stark Towers with a thump. His boots were immediately besieged upon by an awake and eager Fenrir.

Sleipnir just glanced uninterestedly at him. _"How was your trip?"_

Harry snorted. "They tried to foist Loki off on me. I was very close from literally knocking some sense into Odin, and it was only the fact that he was earnest, and really had no idea what that sort of thing would do psychologically to all of you at this point, that I didn't."

_"He would defeat you soundly, should you try to attack him at any point. I may not hold any affection for the Allfather, but even I admit that no matter how old he appears, he is a formidable warrior."_

"Oh, I have no doubt about that." Harry said lightly as he bent to scoop the wriggling pup into his arms. "But the sheer surprise of any sort of attack would let me get in a few good thumps at least." He grinned and the horse looked unimpressed. "So how was everything while I was gone? Did Tony feed you guys? Did you behave yourselves?"

_"Fenrir managed to get into the place where the man who smells of iron and pain keeps his metal horses, and was found chewing on one of them. The iron man was dismayed, but the man who smells like times passed and loneliness laughed. He smelled less of loneliness then."_ Sleipnir reported.

Harry mentally translated that into 'Fenrir got into the garage and was chewing on a car. Tony wasn't happy but Steve thought it was funny.' He snorted.

Sleipnir's titles for the various Avengers were actually started by Fenrir (though he didn't understand the thoughts enough to voice them yet), the wolf being so reliant on his nose, and were pretty easy to figure out once you knew the stories behind the masks of each one. 'Iron and pain' for Tony meant the shrapnel in his chest, trying to crawl its way to his heart. 'Times passed and loneliness' was another obvious one, most of Steve's friends long gone. 'Anger and the jungle' was Bruce. 'Lies and gunpowder' was Natasha, the spy aptly described in two words. 'Sorrow and suspicion' was Clint.

Thor had earned the respect of the two actually using his name.

"Alright. Do you want to come with me to have a chat with the SHIELD council?"

_"Will this chat include violence?"_

The human shrugged. "Well, they almost killed several thousand people so... probably."

Sleipnir bared his teeth. _"I would be happy to."_

Harry grinned, "Alright then." Addressing the air, he called, "Jarvis, we're heading out! Tell the others for me?"

"Of course, sir." The AI said.

Nodding, he settled Fenrir in his pouch, threw an arm around the Sleipnir's broad shoulders, and they were gone with a discreet pop.

_**OoOoO**_

Fury didn't even look up from the paperwork on his desk when they appeared in the small room designated as his office.

"Do you know how much it costs to repair a ship this size and this complex?" He rumbled, his voice disgruntled. Before Harry could even think of a reply, he continued. "Almost as much as it cost to build the damn thing in the first place!"

The wizard snorted. "Blame Loki."

"Would if I could, but he's out of my reach." The director said, finally looking up. Just in time to see Harry's smile twitch. "What was that?" He asked seriously, folding his hands under his chin.

Harry blinked innocently. "What was what?"

"You know what." Fury replied. "Why did you just wince."

The world walker crossed his arms. "You know, for a guy who only has one eye, you've got awesome vision."

"Don't try to sidetrack me, Potter. Spit it out. It can't be any worse than what the council had to say to me just an hour ago."

Harry smirked sinisterly. "You'll have to introduce them to me once we're done here. I need to talk with them."

Fury waved his hand negligently, though there was a slightly malicious gleam in his eye. "Consider it done. Now stop trying my patience and tell me why you're here."

Sighing and giving in, the dark haired man plopped down in a chair across the desk, petting Fenrir absently while Sleipnir curiously examined the office. "Can't get anything past you, now can I? I'm here as... well, let's just call me an envoy from Odin for now."

"I don't care what we call you-"

"I know, I know, get on with it. Jeez, Nick, don't get you eye-patch in a bunch."

The director just growled.

Harry grinned cheekily at him. "Anyway, Odin had an idea for Loki's punishment. But I shot it down, and came up with another idea."

Fury waited for a minute, but it didn't seem like the wizard was going to continue without input. "You're more annoying to get information out of than Stark." He grouched.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment. Alright, I'll bite. What was the Allfather's idea, and why did you reject it? And what was was your idea?"

Harry nodded contently. "See, I knew you would eventually learn to play nice. So Odin's idea was to take away Loki's magic and put him in my custody. At this point, even you should know why that's an awful idea."

"With no protection, you would chew up Loki and spit him out?" Fury snorted. "And here I though immortals were supposed to be wise. That was the Allfather's idea?"

Making himself more comfortable in the chair while Fenrir went to join his brother in sniffing around the office, Harry shrugged. "He's not exactly immortal. Long lived, yeah, but not immortal. So he can be forgiven for some bad ideas. And trust me, he's had some terrible ones."

The director lifted an eyebrow. "So he's not like you, then?"

The wizard rolled his eyes. "Does it matter? Not like he's going to die in your lifetime."

"Not really. Alright, so what was your idea?" Fury prompted.

Harry sat forward. "Oh, you're gonna like this one. I know you and your massive gathering of agents have the entire world at your fingertips, and can change facts faster than most people can change light bulbs-"

"Why do I get the feeling that I know where this is going?"

"Probably because you do. So... change Loki's face on every single picture you can find of him, convince people the person who lead the invasion was someone else, then Odin will send Loki, sans magic, back down here to make reparations. He'll be placed under your authority, rather than mine." Harry smiled in a satisfied manner. "Win all around."

Furry grimaced. "You're forgetting some rather important facts. First, Hundreds of people are dead because that man threw a hissy fit. Second, the council are not going to like this at all."

Harry ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't forget. Trust me, I didn't. I felt every single one of those lives being ferried off to their final destination. I personally think that Loki should be put away for the rest of his exceedingly long life. But there's not a single prison on this or any planet anywhere that could hold him that long. At least this way he gets as much of the punishment he deserves that you can dish out to him. The man was raised a Prince in a golden city. Do you really think he would like cleaning up the city even the slightest bit? And maybe this way, when he sees the devastation and grief he's caused... maybe it'll finally click, the fact that these were actual lives he's destroyed."

The director twisted up his face in a thoughtful expression. After a while, he said, "You talk a good game to me... and you're right, this is the best we can do... but that still doesn't factor in the council."

At this, a maliciously sharp smile spread over the wizard's face. "Leave them to me."

_**OoOoO**_

"This is the closest I can get you to them. Even I don't know who the members of the council really are. Well... I'm not supposed to know who they are, but..."

Harry smirked. "See, you give a man access to the entire world, and he gets into all sorts of things he's not supposed to." He said in a teasing tone.

"Director Fury. What is the meaning of this?" A woman's voice interrupted them, and Harry looked up to the giant screen she was being shown on. Around her, more faces were being uploaded onto the other screens until he was being stared down at by twelve different people, all with superior expressions on their faces.

He took a moment to observe each and every one, then smiled beguilingly. "Well hello there. My name is Harry Potter. And you... well, you screwed up big time."

With no warning he was gone, as were to horse and wolf pup accompanying him.

"Well, that was a bit anti-" Before Director Fury could even finish the statement, one of the men on the screen let out a strangled cry, and his screen went dark. The others started shouting in panic, demanding to know what had happened. Until, one by one, the phenomenon happened to each one.

The other agents in the room were frozen with horrified fascination.

Fury just watched, wondering what the strange being that called himself a wizard and wielded a power that not even he knew the full extent of was doing to the esteemed council. He smirked at the last one left, the woman who had first popped up, and who had made the final decision to bomb New York, and waved at her as her own screen cut out.

Then there was silence.

_**OoOoO**_

Harry stared at the last person he needed to visit. Martha Banks, of New Mexico. He had gathered her location through her mind, just as he had all the others.

He stood over the woman, who looked torn between the urge to run, and the urge to threaten him with her governmental power. Power he was not even the slightest bit afraid of. "You've been a very bad girl, Martha." He told her calmly.

"How do you know my name?" She practically screeched, pressing a button hidden on the underside of her desk that should have brought her security force running in.

Too bad Harry had already disabled it, and any other electrical device in the room.

He rolled his eyes. "I appear here, and that's what you want to focus on? How I know your name?"

When she realized no help was forthcoming, she went for the gun in her drawer. Which disintegrated in her palm. With a scream that was more frustration than fear now, she slammed her hands on the desk and stood up. "What do you want from me?"

"See, now we're getting somewhere. Relax, Martha. I'm not here to hurt you. Unless you force me to. No, I'm just here to tell you how very bad a decision it was to try to kill more people than Loki had hopes of doing. Do you like having that power, Martha? Do you like knowing that while everyone else thinks you're a small town mayor, you're actually the leader behind most powerful government agency in the world?" He said in a lightly scolding tone. Fenrir added his two pence by baring his small, sharp teeth and growling slightly. Sleipnir just watched on.

Mayor Banks leaned forward. "What do you want? Money? Fame? You dare come in here, to- to admonish me for a decision that would have saved the world? Just because it would have killed a few people?"

"A few? A FEW?!" He thundered, and the woman flinched back. "There are over eight _million_ people living in that city alone! THAT IS NOT A FEW!"

Martha whimpered and sank back into her seat while Harry forced himself to calm down.

After a deep breath, he continued in a much calmer state. "I promised myself long ago that I wouldn't kill beings who made bad decisions. I discovered a much better punishment for people like you, Martha Banks." He was unaware that his power began manifesting in his eyes, making them glow an unearthly green. "Eighteen hundred people died in New York City that day. A mere fraction of what you would have caused. And every single day for the next eighteen hundred days, you will be given the memories of a single person that died, from the first to the last. Over the next five years, you will come to intimately know every single one of those people. Their pleasure, their pain, their victories and defeats. You will be brought to the edge of sanity, but you won't get the relief in falling over that edge. And you will be reminded of something that you so callously forget." Martha shivered and said nothing as he continued in a deep voice. "That every life is a precious thing."

The spell that he was weaving around her took hold, cradling her in the parody of a caress before the light sank under her skin.

Harry was gone long before Martha Banks even thought to move.

* * *

Meant to post this yesterday as a gift, but some serious family drama went down (doesn't it always on holidays?) so here we are. A day late, but almost five hundred words longer than usual! And boy, did I have a problem figuring out how Harry would deal with another one of Odin's 'stupid moments'. How do you like how I dealt with the SHIELD council? (Martha Banks is a bit of an OC, mainly because we were given next to no information on them in the movie, and the internet wasn't much better) Gonna end it here, because my bed calls for me! See you next time!

Lionna


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Eight**_

"I'm going to skin him." Harry groused lowly as he literally rolled out of bed, not even bothering to brace himself before he hit the floor. From there he dragged himself to his feet and looked around in irritation. "JARVIS, what time is it?" He rumbled.

"It is six fifty, Mr. Potter. Would you like me to put on coffee for you? I just made a pot for Mr. Rogers before he left for his morning run, but he seems to have consumed it all." The AI replied.

Harry frowned. He'd only been asleep for an hour. Apparently Fenrir thought that was enough sleep. "Yeah, that would be great, thanks." He replied absently. With renewed annoyance, he began searching again for the wolf pup who had decided that it was a prime time to play, and had jerked the human unceremoniously back to the waking world by pouncing repeatedly on his chest, then running off.

When it had been made apparent that neither the wolf nor his brother were in the room, Harry stumbled in a zombie-like manner out the door. He knew he had closed in the night before, but it had somehow been opened enough for both animals to get out.

"I hate mornings." He muttered, grunting and scowling as he tripped over somebody's shoe that was left in the middle of the floor. After that JARVIS made sure to light his way clearly. The two culprits were nowhere to be seen. Harry marveled slightly at that. After all, it wasn't easy for Sleipnir to conceal his bulk. The smell of coffee distracted him from his search for revenge a few minutes later, and drew him into the kitchen area. He picked a mug out of the cupboard then looked from it to the full carafe, put the cup back, and got a much larger one. He was tempted t just drink straight from the pot, but Pepper would probably have his hide for that.

A few moments later he was glad for the decision , because the woman herself came striding confidently into the kitchen, her smart dress suit and neatly pinned up hair a stark contrast to his rumpled clothes and most likely disastrous hair. He really couldn't muster up the brain power to care, though. He took the monstrous cup to the counter and slumped onto one of the tall bar stools set up at the kitchen's large island, only making a small grunting sound in acknowledgement at the woman's presence. She smiled and rolled her eyes, obviously used to people who had to take time to reboot their brain.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. Did you sleep well?" She asked brightly.

"Harry." He grunted, scowling into his cup.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee in a mug that was significantly smaller than the one he held.

"I asked you to call me Harry." He reminded her.

The woman smiled again. "Of course. Then you must call me Pepper."

"'Kay."

She took the seat beside him, perching daintily on her own tall chair, and they sat in companionable silence while the sky outside the window grew greyer with pre-dawn light. Harry allowed the caffeine from his nearly drained drink wash through his system with relief. He was going to be needing a lot of it today, he expected.

He was about to ask Pepper a question when his body froze up. On an unseen horizon, the sun made its first appearance. At the same time a feeling both familiar and alien washed over the exhausted wizard. It was only there for a moment before it dissipated, gone just as quickly as it came.

"Mr. Potter? Mr. Potter? Harry!" Pepper called softly, a worried look on her face. He snapped from his stupor.

His face crinkled with thought. "I'm sorry, Pepper... I've gotta-" Before he could lurch off his stool, Sleipnir ambled into the room, a sleeping Fenrir on his back. As if they had not been Merlin-knew-where for the past half hour.

_"So you felt it finally?"_ The horse asked, and Harry got the distinct feeling that Sleipnir was probably laughing at him.

"Yeah, I felt it. Whatever _it_ was. Where have you been?" He demanded.

_"That is of no consequence. What matters is that you know what it was that you just felt. And I suspect you do."_

Running his hand through his hair in a gesture that had followed him through years and lifetimes, the wizard scowled. "I felt... like you two, and Hel, but not exactly. So I'm guessing that was-"

_"Our brother, yes. He has been sending out that signal to us every morning since our arrival on this planet. You have missed it each time. I had to convince Fenrir to wake you up so you would not do so again."_ Sleipnir's tone was chiding.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I was a bit busy to notice a signal at sunrise that only lasts a single moment. And you couldn't have just _told_ me about it? You had to wake me up for it?"

"I'm sorry but... what's going on?" Pepper asked, watching a conversation that she only knew one side of.

"I adopted a bloody sadist and his unwitting accomplice, is what's going on." Harry grumbled, glaring dully at Sleipnir.

The horse sniffed derisively. _"I'm no sadist, I merely wanted to make sure you felt the signal. You would not be able to track it by me telling you about it. Only if you felt it consciously for yourself."_

"A warning would have been nice, though. Right now I can't even generally pinpoint it, because I wasn't expecting a signal. My magic needs to be poised to follow the signal back to its point of origin, and it most certainly wasn't ready today." The wizard shot back.

He didn't notice Steve come into the kitchen, back from his early morning run. The hero blotted his face with the towel around his shoulders. He raised his eye brow when he took in the scene of the exhausted looking dark haired man glaring at the bored looking horse. And the woman who was looking between the two with confusion written all over her face.

He sidled over to her. "What's going on?" He murmured lowly.

Pepper shrugged her thin shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure, but from what I can tell, Harry just recieved some sort of signal that he needs to track but can't because he wasn't prepared to do so."

Steve tilted his head slightly, and wished for what wasn't the first time that he could hear what Sleipnir was saying. It would probably clear up a lot. Since Harry wasn't even acknowledging him, he figured that it would be a while before he found out what was going on, so there was no use standing around listening to only half of the story. He wondered off to his room to take a shower.

Pepper shot one last look at the two before following Steve's lead and leaving them to it. Tony had an early morning meeting anyway, and he was going whether he liked it or not.

Not even noticing the byplay, Harry and Sleipnir were left alone. _"Then you will have to listen for it again tomorrow."_ The horse-god said with casual ease.

Harry scowled. Sure, the horse could demand that of him no problem. _He_ wasn't the one who would have to act as a go between for two worlds today. Once again Harry was leaving the two at Stark Tower while he dealt with matters in Asgard. "So that's it then, be up at sunrise tomorrow, or waste another day with no idea where to start searching for Jormungand?"

_"Yes."_ Sleipnir replied instantly and flatly.

The man groaned and slumped, choosing to turn his gaze into his empty cup. "I'm going to need more coffee for this."

Sleipnir just snorted, and a smug gleam entered his eyes.

_**OoOoOoO**_

Harry stifled another jaw cracking yawn as Martha Banks stared down at him from her screen. "And that is our only choice. Allow Loki to walk freely on Earth? Just like that?"

If the wizard was feeling more charitable, he would have complimented the woman on her steel nerves. He knew she had to have already experienced the first life, as all the others had, and she was the only one who wasn't cowering in her screen, though the lines around her mouth were sharper than they were the day before.

"Just like that, _Councilwoman_." He said airily. "Trust me, Loki is getting his comeuppance."

"I would rather we be allowed to execute him." She glared venomously down at him, the unsaid 'and you too' hung in the air, ignored blatantly by the wizard, "than you use your unnatural powers freely on him." The other men and women on the screens made vague sounds of agreement, but immediately quieted when he glanced flatly their way.

He rolled his eyes. Cowards. Though he had known that before. What kind of government council ran their agency by hiding behind bad lighting and great distances? Apparently one so mistrusting and cowardly that they didn't even let the person they left in charge know who they were. Though of course Fury knew that without them telling him anyway. He was crafty like that. "Do you think you _could_ execute him, Madame? A man so powerful he's known as a god? And I doubt his father would be happy with you if you were to even _try_. And believe me, where his sons are powerful, Odin is power itself. I would not try his patience."

Martha scowled, and huffily turned off her display. The others scrambled to follow her lead.

Turning to Fury, Harry finally let the yawn loose. "I hate dealing with politicians." He complained to the man, who was looking at him with new respect. "They're so... politiciany."

"... Poli... ticiany?"

"Can you come up with a better word to describe them?"

The director thought about it for a moment, then let it go. No, he really couldn't.

"Alright then. So are you ready?" Harry asked, offering the man his hand. Fury looked at it like it was a viper that would suddenly decide to strike at him if given the chance.

"Ready? I was under the impression that you would be bringing Odin here." He said, frowning.

Harry shrugged. "I can't. At least, I don't think I can. When I said Odin _was_ power, I wasn't kidding, or exaggerating. His power field would effect mine too badly for transport, causing a rippling that could either kill me and leave him floating in a void between dimensions, or could drop us on a world that is nowhere near our destination. In theory anyway. And I for one don't want to test that theory in the lightest. Mainly because dying in the void would mean I would come back to life there, under the same conditions, which would result in instant death, then rebirth in an endless, painful loop." He shook his head. "Safer all around that I bring _you _to _him._ Powerful though you are politically, I've no doubt, there's no spark in you that'll leave me in an infinite loop of painful deaths."

"Right... okay. So we're going to Asgard then?" Fury said, clearing his throat and wondering just how many times Potter had died in the past in order to speak of future deaths, even the possibility of endless deaths, in such a blase manner. He took the offered hand of the man who was his newest headache.

"To Asgard then." The world-walker said with a short nod, and with no further ceremony dragged them both into the flow of powers that he didn't really understand, into a debate he wasn't really looking forward to, that would lead to a future he wasn't sure he would enjoy.

Altogether, this was going to be _fuuuun._

**OoOoOoO**

Fury shook himself unconsciously when he set foot on the solid ground of the Bifrost chamber. "That was... unsettling." He admitted. Harry quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You get used to it."

The Director leveled a dead pan look at him. "Hopefully I won't have the opportunity to."

Harry snorted and moved past him towards the entrance, where Heimdall stood guard as he usually did. "Director Fury, this is Heimdall of the All-Seeing-Eye. Heimdall, I'm sure I don't need to introduce Fury to you."

Heimdall smiled stiffly. "I know who he is. I have been watching him more closely than I do most other Midgardians due to the fact that some of his plans involve Thor."

"You've been watching me?" Fury demanded, crossing his arms.

The wizard glanced at him. "Not like he has much choice. What part of 'All-Seeing' did you not get? That sort of power isn't something you can turn on and off." He brushed off the man's slight outrage, knowing it would fizzle quickly if he allowed himself to listen to logic. "So, Heimdall, how are the repairs to the Rainbow Bridge going?"

"Well, now that the source of power that was used in the original construction is back in our hands. But now that I have the opportunity, I was considering some changes-"

Harry and Heimdall began talking about theories and ideas that Fury couldn't even begin to comprehend, and the man just stood off to the side, waiting to be remembered. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes, he cleared his throat.

The world-walker glanced at him, sighed, and pulled away from his friend. "We'll continue this later, I suppose. I guess I can't put off today's political dance any longer."

The god nodded and gave him a sympathetic look, and the wizard led the spy-master off, towards the golden castle. Harry had hoped that Odin would at least have someone meet them at the Bifrost chamber, but this was, first and foremost, a political meeting. Odin would most likely have his entire family on their gilded thrones in the throne room, dressed to intimidate.

Not that Harry could really blame him. On everything else today, the god was at a disadvantage. He was sending his younger son to Earth to pay repparations, and could only hope that he would come back a better person than he left. Odin also knew that his heir saw Fury as someone of power and position, and could easily become used to taking the human's orders while he worked with the Avengers. That was not a good habit for someone who was so close to inheriting the throne. When Odin and Fury were both long gone, and Thor was left in charge of his realm, he needed to be used to being the one giving the orders, not relying on someone else to do so.

Harry wished that he didn't find it so easy to predict and read the king, but having held a similar postition, it was impossible not to.

Director Fury walked quietly beside him, leaving the wizard to his pensive thoughts. He 'entertained' himself by looking around, taking in the sights with much less awe than any other human ever would. Instead his eye swept the area with practiced ease, picking out people who had hidden themselves to watch the king's guest and the human walk up to the castle.

It usually felt like it took such a short amount of time, but today's trek between the Bifrost chamber and the golden castle felt like the slow march to the gallows, in Harry's opinion (another unpleasant thing he had experienced). He was going to have to be the diplomatic middle ground between two bull headed males who were probably going to get along as well as a cat and a dog.

He could already feel a headache brewing behind his tried eyes.

They went through the front entrance uncontested, the gold helmed guards nodding to the world-walker, and staring as subtly as they could at the human with him. Harry waved absently. He would stop and talk, as the two guards had often given Fenrir tidbits of food when he and Harry were heading out, but he had bigger fish to fry.

Harry grabbed the other man's arm outside the doors of the throne room, speaking lowly and quickly. "I would give you tips on how to deal with Odin, but I know you'll probably just ignore me. Just... don't be too disrespectful. The guy could fry you in a peak of irritation. Remember Fury, to your precious council, _you're_ replaceable."

That last bit was most likely a lie, but it would hopefully get Fury to be a little more respectful.

Fury sneered. "I am the world's spymaster. There's _no one_ who can replace me."

"I wouldn't be so sure." With no further wait, he threw open the large golden doors. As he had predicted, the royal family of Asgard were dressed to impress and intimidate. Odin sat proudly on the gilded throne, Frigga standing slightly off to his left, Thor to his right, and a subtly bound Loki standing right behind his brother. They all gleamed almost blindingly.

The moment they entered, there was a breathless pause, the calm before the storm.

Harry pointedly conjured and donned a pair of sunglasses.

Thor laughed in his booming manner.

The moment was broken.

"World Walker." Odin thundered, "This is the human you spoke of?"

Harry sketched a short bow nodded respectfully. "Yes, All-Father. This is the Midgardian Nicholas Fury." He nudged the man.

Fury glanced at him.

'Bow.' Harry mouthed.

Fury smirked and ignored him.

Harry sighed.

This was definitely going to be a fun negotiation.

_**OoOoOoO**_

Fury had his arms crossed, his jaw set stubbornly.

Odin's power crackled around him.

Thor looked between the two with worry.

Harry sat sprawled in a lounge chair he had conjured earlier, drinking coffee from the thermos he had packed. This staring contest had been going on for ten minutes. It was like watching a pair of bulls butt heads. Or was it just rams that did that?

Shaking the thought out of his head, Harry glanced at his watch and sighed. It was almost midnight back on Earth. He had a little over seven hours before he had to track the signal Jormungand was sending out.

And the 'negotiations' looked as if they were no closer to being settled than they were when Harry and Fury arrived eight hours ago.

Fury demanded too much, Odin was willing to give too little.

Clapping his hands to call everyone's attention to himself and standing up, Harry knew it was time to end it.

"I should have listened to my first instinct, and that was to do these stupid negotiations myself. But when you-" He scowled at Fury, "Demanded to be the one to do it, I figured that maybe you would be wise enough. I was wrong. You honestly thought that you would be able to convince the King of Asgard to let you execute his son if Loki tried anything devious? He's the God of _Mischief_. He's the very definition of devious. And you-" He shot an accusing look at Odin, "You know what's at stake here, and what needs to be done, and you're just dragging this out and turning it into a contest of wills. How in the universe did you convince yourself that I would be willing to ferry Loki back and forth between worlds every single day? Not happening. So here's how it's going to be, no ifs, ands, or buts. Loki is coming with us. He will live on Earth for five years minimum. He'll help rebuild the parts of the city that he helped destroy. I'm going to add my own little flavor of punishment on top of that. You can visit. But he won't be coming back here for at least five years. And if he tries anything too outrageous, _I'll _deal with him. Is. That. Clear?" He knew his magic was manifesting visibly. He didn't care. He was tired. And sick of watching these two all but compare penis sizes.

"Ah... seems like a fair deal to me, World Walker. As long as you keep your word." Odin said after gaping at him. He knew he could not expect much from this, and had hoped for a bit more... but he knew better than to argue with the wizard in this state.

Harry snorted. "I am nothing if not a man of my word."

"Now see here Potter-" Fury began, but his mouth sealed itself shut.

"No, you see here, Fury." He pointed at Odin. "God." At Fury, "Human." Then at himself. "Tired of this shit. We're done here."

Turning away from the dark skinned man, he addressed Odin with a forced smile. "Great, we have a deal. Everyone _reasonable_ goes home happy. Now, I'm leaving in twenty minutes, could you have everything Loki is bringing in the entrance hall by then?"

The god nodded. "Of course. Most of it is already gathered."

"Good, well then, Thor, Loki, Fury, into the hall with you. I want to talk to Odin and Frigga alone."

Thor happily dragged his brother and the still silenced Director out of the room. Harry visibly deflated. Odin pulled himself from his chair and made his way over to the wizard, Frigga close behind him.

"You will take care of him?" Odin asked.

Harry rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, as well as I can."

The All-Father sighed. "That is all I can ask."

"He will come back... different?" Frigga queried hopefully.

Here, the world walker grinned sharply. "He'll be different by the end of the first day. Trust me."

"What do you have planned, Harry?" Odin rumbled.

The dark haired man's innocent expression did not appease him one bit. "Nothing that will affect him physically. But... well, this will be a lot of fun for me."

* * *

This chapter. This fucking chapter. GAH! Harry's little outburst may have been a product of my irritation with this chapter. It _did not_ want to be written. At all. I had to force it out. Which makes me feel like this chapter sucks. I'm not sure. But if it does, oh well. At least I'm done with it. I'm going to go drink tea, eat chocolate, and fume. Hasta.

Lionna


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Don't own.

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Nine**_

Harry rubbed at his tired eyes roughly, and frowned at the gathered group of people that waited for them. A few of them were Asgardians who were just there to stare and whisper, but there were a number of them that...

"No." He grunted.

Thor returned his frown. "My brother was raised as a prince of Asgard, and is not used to-"

"Yes he is. He just spent Merlin knows how long without them. He is not bringing an entourage of servants to Earth. To his _punishment_. You're not, so why should he?" The wizard pointed out tiredly.

"If it makes any difference, it wasn't my idea." Loki added helpfully.

Harry just sighed.

Fury apparently decided that dealing with this was his problem. Probably his petulant way of pointing out that Harry made all of the decisions for this in the end. The dark skinned man stood off to the side, his arms crossed imposingly, pointedly ignoring the beings that were considered _gods_ that were gathered around him.

"I am the Heir to the crown of Asgard, it was my father's wish that I learn to take care of myself without servants, as his father had him do before me."

"Don't care. Loki's not bringing servants. Sorry folks. Disperse, if you would." Without waiting for the order to be followed, the wizard motioned to the veritable wall of wooden trunks that were stacked around them. "This stuff everything you're taking, then?" He asked Loki. Really, he would have probably asked in a much more scathing tone, but he was too tired. Grudges were hard to keep a hold of when he felt like this. And he would have to be awake for a few hours more, to ready himself to follow the signal at sunrise.

The Asgardian nodded. Harry waved his wand halfheartedly, and the trunks all shrunk to much more manageable sizes, and floated into the bag that he held out for them. The servants he had dismissed still stood there, wavering uncertainly, but he ignored them, and just gestured the people he _was_ taking back to Earth to stand in a group close enough that they could all touch him.

The four disappeared in a flash of light.

_**OoOoOoOoO**_

Fury was dropped off without ceremony back at the still crippled Hovercarrier. Thor and Loki were both brought back to Stark Tower.

Harry sighed forlornly, looking at the door to his room. If he went in now, then he would be tempted to go to bed. Instead, he guided Loki to the room he had been assigned. The night was not over yet.

He ignored the Avengers, who had all thought that they were following the pair discreetly.

"This is your room. You will wake up at six each morning, and lights out at eleven each night. You will be working with a construction group that Tony managed to sign you up for. They don't know who you are, and if they find out because you told them, or you were too obvious about who you are, then you get to deal with the fallout from that. Your magic will be sealed, so don't even try it. Let's just say it'll be painful. I am not going to be around much for the next few weeks, and neither are the kids. I'll allow you an hour each day, _supervised_, with them if they want to see you. No doubt Fenrir will, and Sleipnir won't. Once I find Jormungand, he might. I don't know. We'll see. Hel might actually show up at some point, just to cuss you out, so that'll be fun. It's up to you if you want to mend those bridges, just know that you'll never get full custody of them again. Once you hurt children like that, you don't deserve to have them." Harry kept talking, even as his eyes drooped. He knew that he would start mumbling incoherently soon, and had to get all of the important stuff out of the way first. "You start your work tomorrow at eight, and finish for the day at four, at which point you'll be brought back here. What you do between four and lights out is up to you. I don't suggest irritating the others too much, as they are really good at holding grudges. Oh! Almost forgot, instead of coming straight here every Thursday, you'll be taken to a psychologist. You _will _talk to him, and you _will_ tell him the truth. He knows most of your back story already, so don't even think about lying to him. He's had a lot of practice in dealing with liars." His wand was waved, and the trunks extracted themselves from his bag and resized themselves. "Feel free to unpack whenever."

Without waiting for a reply, or any reaction whatsoever, he walked out of the room, leaving the Asgardian alone. He needed coffee.

Loki was left alone in the room. He wondered around the suite, thinking to himself. This was good. This was just what he needed in order to convince the World Walker that he was worth protecting from what was coming. This was more than he could have expected.

But he was being made to work.

Loki sneered, and sat down on the provided bed. He knew what a 'construction group' was. Manual labor workers that he was going to be forced to join in order to 'repent' what he had done. It was shameful for a Prince such as him to do a thing like that. Not to mention the fact that he would have to do so by hand, as his magic had been thoroughly repressed somehow… and yet, he felt like that was not the only thing that the World Walker had in mind for him.

He lay back in the bed, and frowned at the ceiling. It was not too early to plot how this would all end…

_**OoOoOoOoO**_

It had been years since he's spent more than two days in a row awake. Back when he was a soldier for some cause that he could no longer remember, he would have to be alert for days and days, the front lines were not the place to let your guard down for even a moment, much less the hours it took to properly rest.

He passed by his own room again. "JARVIS, you can let them out now." He told the AI, and the door slid open. Fenrir tumbled out, obviously having been leaning against it. Sleipnir followed him out at a more sedate pace. "Could you brew me a pot of coffee?" He addressed the AI again, picking up the pup and leaning against the horse.

His eyes felt gritty, and his mind felt like it was full of cotton. Three days with only an hour under his belt did bad things to everybody, add an exhausting bout of 'political pissing contest' and it was a wonder that he didn't just collapse where he stood.

"_You were unusually gentle with him."_ Sleipnir pointed out. Harry wasn't surprised that he could hear his one sided conversation with Loki.

"Yeah, well, I'm not very good at staying angry. Sadly enough, I've seen people do things twenty times worse than what Loki did. I will never forgive him for what he did to you kids, but... I've seen one man obliterate entire civilizations... Next to that, what Loki did to Earth paled in comparison. It was bad, yeah, but it could have been so much worse." Harry shook his head. Trust him to get lost in bad memories when he was tired.

"_What happened to him?"_ Sleipnir asked curiously. He realized that, though he thought he knew all there was to know about this two legger, he knew very little indeed.

"He was one of the few people that I couldn't rehabilitate, even if I wanted to. And at that point, I didn't want to. I had only been jumping for about three hundred years at that point. I killed him, and he killed me." He closed his eyes, remembering the rage of a being who knew that someone had bested him, and then the flash of triumph in the creature's eyes when he realized that though he was dying, so was Harry.

But the wizard moved on, waking up in a new world.

The destroyer had to have died there, on the floor of his own ship, as it burned around him.

"_What was his name?"_

Harry tilted his head back, thinking hard. "I-I don't really remember, it was so long ago... but I do remember what he was called. The Mad Titan."

_**OoOoOoOoO**_

Harry sat on the couch his eyes staring blankly into nowhere, Fenrir curled in his lap asleep, Sleipnir standing in silent vigil beside him, as the sun finally broke past the horizon.

The signal came, and Harry's magic was poised and ready to follow it.

A tendril of his power followed the signal back to its source doggedly, and met with an alien consciousness that observed it with fascination. The magic shoved the information it carried at the source. Harry had imbued it with what who he was, and the basic facts of what was going on with the children and the rest of the planet. It also contained a warning about the presence of Loki on Earth.

The source felt distinctly amused, and Harry was allowed the details of how to find it, with the promise that they had much to talk about.

Coming back to himself, the wizard blinked sleepily.

The sun, outside the window, now hung high in the sky, proving that though it felt like the exchange had only taken moments, it had actually been a few hours since had connected with what could only have been Jormungand.

He ignored the Avengers, who were all ranged around him, talking quietly and staring curiously, and staggered to his room for a well-deserved rest with only a grunted, "Later."

They could wait for an explanation. He, on the other hand, could not wait for a nap.

_**OoOoOoOoO**_

He slept solidly through the night, waking only at six o' clock in the morning in order to see that the agents that SHEILD had assigned to deal with Loki (Natasha and Clint, unsurprisingly) followed the routine they were supposed to with Loki.

Fenrir followed his father around, dancing around his feet joyfully. Harry wondered why the wolf pup still trusted the man. The wolf explained it in the broken and halting language of all toddlers who are just learning to speak.

"_Father… came to see. Fenrir had no pack. Father was pack. Fenrir and father ran together."_

Leaning idly back against the bar, Harry stared. So… Loki came to visit Fenrir, transforming himself into a wolf in order to run with the son that he had denied from birth. Why?

"Why visit Fenrir, but not any of the others? Sleipnir even lived at the same palace as you, and before you destroyed the Rainbow Bridge, you could have come easily to both Hel's Realm and Midgard." He asked the god out loud.

The god of Mischief paused in what he was doing, and looked from the pup that was prancing around him to the wizard that was standing across the room. Obviously the two had been talking over their mind link. He was torn. Telling the truth would most likely win him points with the only one who could most likely protect him from the doom that was bearing down on him, but… it showed a weakness of his. Something he was embarrassed about.

He took a sip of the hot liquid he had been inspecting before the World Walker had interrupted. It was apparently called coffee. He tasted it cautiously, taking his time in order to think through what he wanted to say. It was flavorful, rich and bitter, but also sweet. The World Walker had prepared it for him when he had expressed interest in it.

He remembered the anger that emanated from the shorter dark haired man at their last meeting before he had been taken back to Asgard, but it was absent now, replaced only by distrust. He wondered if it would be prudent to ask what had changed since then.

But it worked in his favor, really, and did he want to risk his life to protect his pride?

Finally, he decided that it was wiser to tell at least part of the truth. "I was always treated differently by the Asgardians. They are a dynasty of warriors, and prize strength over cunning. As a child, it was obvious that I would never grow to my brother's bulk, and that I was far more intelligent than was accepted. Their disdain of me was cemented by my talent in the arts of sorcery…" He did not know how to continue, but the World Walker nodded in understanding.

"So the only being that accepted you was the son you spurned. Makes you think, doesn't it?" He asked before walking away, leaving Loki to stand in the room they called a 'kitchen' alone.

_**OoOoOoOoO**_

"So, there's another brat?" Tony asked. The Avengers were finally getting a full explanation for Harry's odd behavior over the past few days, and even the normally exuberant man had held his questions until the Wizard had finished describing the signal he had received.

"Are you surprised? I thought that, out of everyone here, you would be the first to read up on Norse mythology after discovering that you would be working with the literal God of Thunder." Harry said blandly.

Thor, who was trying to protect the leather strap of his hammer from a very persistent Fenrir, looked up at the mention of his title.

"Well, yeah, but… there is really a giant snake somewhere around here? I thought that at least some of those legends were complete bull shit!"

"Stark! Language!" Steve barked, glancing over at Fenrir.

Harry hid a grin behind his hand. Leave it to Cap to actually be one of the few people to think about what sort of thing the kids would pick up.

Tony shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

"Some of them are… ah… exaggerated. But really, you have proof living with you that the legends of two of Loki's children were true, why is it so shocking that the other two legends are as well?"

"Other two… wait, you mean that Loki's daughter Hel is real too?"

Harry laughed. "Oh yeah, remind me to introduce you two sometime. I think you'll get along famously."

Bruce sighed. "Do you really want to introduce Tony to someone that you think he'll 'get along famously' with? He's bad enough already."

Tony waved his hand. "You're just mad that I beat you at chess."

The other scientist smirked. "One time. Out of five." He pointed out.

"Ooh, that reminds me!" Without any sort of explanation, or even warning, Tony grabbed Bruce's arm and dragged him out of the room, heading in the direction of the lab.

"_So you're going to go meet with a giant snake then?"_ Natasha's voice asked in his ear. Because the two agents were assigned to watching Loki while he made his reparations, they could not be physically there for 'story time' as Clint had called it. Luckily they all still had the communicators, so Harry wouldn't have to tell the whole thing twice.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. Should be interesting, right?" He said. The rest of the group had already drifted away to go do their own thing.

Thor was playfully trying to keep his hammer out of reach, and Fenrir was very determined to leave his mark on the tool. Steve had wondered off, probably to go walk around outside again. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself in this world that was so like and so unlike what he was used to. Harry could relate to that.

The dark haired man made his way over to one of the many computer consoles that one could find in the tower. He began typing in coordinates, idly answering or fending the slightly invasive questions that Clint and Natasha were firing at him over the coms. They were a lot more interested in how this would affect everything that the others, but that was to be expected. He had no doubt that every single thing they learned would be put in a report for Fury to peruse.

He hit enter, and the programmed picture of the Earth spun and zoomed, until a very specific region was filling the view.

"Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me."

* * *

I promise that we'll meet Jormungand in the next chapter! I swear!

So, anyway, Harry realized that yeah, Loki could have been worse. What he did was unforgivable, but Harry's always been far too forgiving. He'll never let Loki have the kids back, but he's willing to let him try to earn some ah... joint custody? Sort of? I dunno. This story has taken on a life of its own, I have no control over it now. (sighs) The reason this chapter took so long is because of many reasons, the main one being that I'm working on an entirely original novel (considering putting up the prologue on my fictionpress account to see how well it's received, but not sure if that's dangerous or not...). So yeah, Harry is not gonna kill Loki, Loki maybe might be redeemable, and hey, forshadowing!

Lionna


End file.
